Redemption of the Heart
by Shadow2700
Summary: Sometimes a mission, drink and the heart can fix a person. Swearing a plenty and violence.
1. A Simple Business Trip

_A Simple Business_ Trip

* * *

The sun shined brightly against the ocean waves and the waves crashed against the dock with force. A single inhale of a cigarette and a release of breath into the air added to the various sounds of the city around Rock. It was days like this that momentarily made him forget where he was at and what he did for a living. The world he was a part of was not for the wary or weak of heart, at least that's what Revy always shouted in his face whenever he would think about it or speak of it. Grabbing his drink from the ground, he took a swig of it and let it take affect slowly of the others that he had swallowed down.

Peace and quiet, a calmness that he seldom experienced.

"Rock! Get your fucking ass off the ground and get moving! We got a job!" Revy came shouting, grabbing his bottle and taking a swig of it for herself.

Peace and quiet lost.

"You don't have to shut Revy, I can hear just fine." Rock responded, picking himself up and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Ah shut up, I'll yell if I want to." Revy responded with a smirk. "Besides, ain't no controlling what I do."

"Someone will find a way someday." Rock responded with a grin.

"What the fuck did you say?" Revy glared at him.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Rock replied calmly and walked onto the deck of the Lagoon.

"That's right, now come on; let's see what Dutch has for us!" Revy shouted as she launched herself down into the hold of the ship. Rock followed suit and arrived into the ship to find Dutch sitting at the controls.

"Revy says we got a job Dutch, what is it?" Rock questioned his employer.

"Not sure, got a call in and Benny was the one to get it. But he was told to wait until we all were present before he told us." Dutch motioned over to Benny while he took a gulp of beer down.

"Well since we're all here finally, if one of us was late." Benny replied.

"If you're talking about me cocksucker." Revy growled.

"I didn't say that at all. Anyways, the job involves two parts of it. It's a delivery of two packages that go to two different countries, thanks to our friends at Hotel Moscow." Benny explained to everyone.

"What are the two countries?" Rock asked sitting back on the floor.

"One is in France, the other is in America." Benny answered.

"How much are we getting for this?" Revy quickly questioned, not wanting to waste her time going across the world.

"Two-hundred thousand, that's in American." Benny replied.

"Fuck yeah! I call France then!" Revy shouted in joy.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news Revy, but our friends don't want you going to France as part of the deal. Apparently the guy we're delivering the package to doesn't believe women should being doing work." Benny informed her.

"Son of a bitch! I'll teach that motherfucker a lesson about women!" Revy shouted kicking over one of the chairs by the couch.

"Calm down Revy, I'm sure we'll do just fine going to America." Rock assured her with a smile. Revy shot him a glare in response.

"Who says I'm going with you Rock?" Revy asked him crossing her arms.

"I do, he'll be able to keep you calmed down more than I can." Dutch replied.

"Aw come on Dutch!" Revy protested, if only to keep up her appearance to him and Benny.

"Don't push it Revy. Rock actually knows some things about American culture, seeing as his company dealt with them and he has experience. It'll be easier for him to make the transaction and hopefully keep you under control." Dutch explained.

"Rock in no way will keep me in his control!" Revy shouted.

"Enough, that's the final word of that. The real question I have is why Hotel Moscow wants _us _to deliver these two packages well outside of our usual area." Dutch turned to Benny who simply shrugged.

"I didn't get a straight answer from them, but they simply said they trusted us to get the job done. It's weird since Balalaika didn't say it herself, but they said it was on her orders. We actually have two planes that will fly us there, private of course since this is a high profile job.

"I would question it, but it's still the Russian Mafia and I'm not gonna fuck with if it's ordered." Dutch said.

"Anyway, the pay is two-hundred thousand so that's roughly fifty-thousand for each of us." Benny detailed further.

"Well then what are we waiting for?! Let's get these fucking packages delivered and get our money!" Revy smiled in earnest.

"The flights aren't due to leave for another day so we have time to kill for now." Benny added in.

"Are you kidding?!" Revy shouted.

"Nope, so tonight we can drink or do what we want. Here are your passports, fake of course, and the keys needed to get into Moscow's private jets." Benny replied, handing the others everything they needed. Rock opened his packet and studied it over carefully before placing it back into the envelope.

"Well, I guess that's it then. But I need to go take care of something before we leave and….I may need help from you Revy." Rock turned to her.

"What the hell you need my help for?" Revy questioned leaning back onto the sofa.

"Just come with me and you'll see. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it." Rock smiled nervously as he stood and headed for the hatch, turning his head before he stepped out. "Or don't, it's your choice."

Rock then stepped outside and onto the deck about to step onto the dock. Revy just starred in shock at his gesture and apparent attitude that he didn't care. Dutch just simply smiled, he knew what Rock was doing and it usually worked.

"Get back here ya jackass! You aren't going anywhere without me!" Revy shouted quickly following his path. Dutch simply chuckled and looked at Benny.

"Crazy as it sounds, those two are about the only people that can control one another." Dutch smirked.

"Wonder what will happen on their trip across the Atlantic." Benny leaned forward in his chair.

"Who knows with those two?" Dutch shrugged and started back on his closing preparations for the ship.

"Rock, get your ass back here! Where the hell are you taking me?" Revy demanded as she caught to him and punched him in the shoulder.

"So you decided to join me after all huh?" Rock laughed in response rubbing his shoulder.

"Cut the crap, I didn't join you because I wanted to, I joined because knowing you, you're gonna get in trouble." Revy protested.

"Whatever you say Revy, but this has been on my mind for a while." Rock said quietly. Revy's curiosity got the best of her and she looked at him puzzled.

"Spit it out then." Revy told him bluntly.

"I need a gun." Rock admitted quietly.

"A gun?! You?! That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!" Revy laughed uncontrollably. "Seriously, what is it?"

"I need a damn gun." Rock said louder and more open. Revy looked at him, wondering how serious he was about this.

"You don't use guns, you hate guns Rocky baby. Why the hell would you want one now?" she asked him seriously.

"Because if I get myself in a jam where it's an absolute last resort, I can at least defend myself and not put you or Dutch in harm's way." Rock explained.

"You don't have to worry about me damn it. You know I'm stronger than that, you've seen it firsthand." Revy laughed at her exploits.

"Revy, I take no pleasure in killing a man and I damn well won't go batshit crazy for it either. But if I can at least protect myself when needed, even if it's a small pistol, then I'll have a better chance. Being here long enough has taught me that some things are for the best and have to be done to survive." Rock, quietly said looking towards the sky.

Revy was unsure what to make of this change of heart for Rock. On the one hand, it was a much needed improvement from his businessman persona and it would help knowing that he may be able to handle himself in a fire fight….barely. However, the inner thoughts of her mind wondered why the one thing perhaps keeping her human, keeping her ties to reality was doing this.

'_Am I going nuts? Why in the hell am I so concerned for this guy like this? We both know what this world entails, but for whatever reason, I can't bring myself to accept what he's doing.'_

"Are you sure you want to get a gun Rock? It doesn't suit someone like you." Revy replied shaking herself out of her thoughts.

"And I don't think mass killing suits someone like you, but you do it and I don't question it." Rock rebutted back.

"If it hadn't been for me going crazy and killing motherfuckers left and right, you'd probably be dead ten times over." Revy glared back at him.

"Yes, but do you have to become so damn aggressive with people?" Rock replied calmly.

"Watch what you say Rock." Revy ordered him a similar tone.

"Or you'll kill me?" Rock grinned still looking at the sky.

"No, but I'll beat you to within an inch of your life." Revy replied. She wondered why it was that she was so calm around Rock and no one else. She had a vague idea, but at the same time she didn't want to admit it.

"Well, until then, let's go shop for my weapon and hopefully this job will go without a hitch." Rock said as they stepped into the gun shop.

"Whatever you bastard." Revy quietly replied as she stepped in, ready for a drink.

Within thirty minutes, Rock was inspecting his new weapon, something that Revy still had trouble accepting for a multitude of reasons. The main one however was the one that he actually chose.

"I still can't believe you picked that M-1911 as your weapon of choice. A fucking .45 caliber gun with a good amount of kick." Revy smirked at him with astonishment.

"It felt good in my hand to shoot and while it has some kick, it felt controlled for me. Besides, the U.S. Army used them for over a century, nothing beats reliability I always say and it's by far the more reliable hand gun I've known." Rock explained.

"You said you didn't like guns yet you know which is the most reliable? If that's the case I could've given you one of mine Beretta's or gotten a revolver." Revy joked.

"Yeah, and I'll jump off a bridge before you give me one of your guns. And a revolver has a smaller amount of shots and takes longer to reload." Rock joked back as he stood up and took aim down the iron sights of the gun. "Let's see if I can hit that can from fifty yards off that fence."

Rock took aim while Revy looked on to see what the result would be. Shooting at a big human target was one thing, or rather a sheet of paper. Shooting at a tiny can from fifty yards took accuracy. Rock took aim and adjusted for the low wind and quickly pulled the trigger. The M-1911 ejected the shell casing and fired the bullet, hitting the can dead center. Revy simply dropped her cigarette from her mouth in shock.

"How in the fuck did you do that?" Revy stood up and looked at the gun while Rock was still in his stance.

"Being a math guy does have its advantages. Doesn't hurt that I do some simple workouts like pushups and such to keep it steady as well." Rock explained putting the safety on and holstering the weapon.

"You could be a regular killing machine with that kind of accuracy. But don't forget, a real firefight is different." Revy laughed at the thought of it.

"I told you, it's a last resort. I don't take joy in killing like that. In self-defense, I may call the guy a cocksucker or something, but I'll never take the first shot." Rock looked at her sternly, causing her to step back slightly.

"Ok Rock, I get it. But you do look badass with that thing, even with a tie and white collar shirt." Revy smirked crossing her arms.

"Whatever you say. Anyway, want to hit the bar?" Rock suggested.

"Now you're talking my language! Let's get wasted!" Revy shouted and leading Rock to the bar for a night of drink.

* * *

"So when we get to Paris and drop off this package, what will we do afterward?" Benny asked Dutch as he zipped up his suitcase and put it off to the side.

"Get the hell out of there. I hate the idea of being in a piece of shit country like France." Dutch replied drinking his beer.

"Not a big fan of France huh?" Benny replied with a smile.

"Last time I was there, I was a soldier and the country wasn't exactly receptive of us or rather me. So fuck 'em." Dutch replied setting his drink down.

"Then why not go with Revy to America. I think myself and Rock can handle this." Benny joked.

"You're so full of shit right now." Dutch laughed loudly.

"Yeah, no shit I am. Rock and me by ourselves? We'd have a better chance of winning the lottery than surviving a fire fight together." Benny laughed.

"Yep, just unreal how bad that would be." Dutch replied.

"You think they'll be alright heading down to Miami? A lot of crime goes on there." Benny asked him.

"As long as they don't stray too far from what they're supposed to do, they'll be fine. We aren't known in Miami in the underground crime rings so it should go down without an issue." Dutch replied.

"That's not what concerns me though." Benny replied standing up and grabbing some water from the cooler. Dutch's curiosity was now raised.

"Dutch, Rock was talking about buying a gun the other day." Benny told him, almost making Dutch's heart drop.

"Damn it, that's the last thing I want to hear. You know how I feel about that." Dutch said putting his beer down on the counter.

"I think that it was for self-defense only, at least that's what he told me." Benny replied lighting a cigarette up.

"Self-defense or not, he didn't need a gun. I guess it'll make him feel safer, but I don't trust him with one." Dutch answered.

"I'm wondering what Revy thinks of it though, if he's told her that is." Benny replied.

"She'll love it or she'll hate it. There's no other choice." Dutch smirked. "That ought to be a good show to watch." Dutch then laughed.

"I think they'll be alright Dutch." Benny replied.

"I hope you're right Benny. Weird as it sounds, they are a perfect match for each other, at least on jobs. As far as anything else, I stay out of it. We'll see what happens. Worse comes to worse, Rock will be able to get out of it using his smarts and Revy with her guns." Dutch said taking an inhale of his cigarette and looking out onto the ocean.

* * *

"So how many drinks have we had tonight? I've lost count Rock." Revy slurred as she downed another drink of Bacardi.

"I've have no clue Revy." Rock slurred back as he swirled his drink in his hand. It had been about four hours since they had started drinking and they had downed at least a bottle and half of Bacardi, much less than what they could usually take down. They did have a job to do after all.

"Well, let's take one more and get out of here. We have to be up in the morning for our long flight." Rock said as he finished his drink in one gulp. Revy sighed in disappointment but finished hers as well. Paying their tab and not destroying the bar for once, they took their leave and began to walk back to HQ. Revy was stumbling a bit so Rock took her arm and placed it over his shoulder to help her balance.

"What the hell are you doing Rock?" Revy slurred out as they walked.

"Making sure you don't fall over onto the ground." Rock smirked.

"I don't need your help Rock." Revy said, tripping over her own feet.

"Just let me help Revy." Rock said, more of an order than a suggestion. Revy was too disoriented and drunk to argue or fight with him, not that she wanted to.

'_Feels nice to have someone help, as if they actually care about my wellbeing.'_

Her past was something that had haunted her for her whole life. It was hard to trust anyone, especially men. It was hard to see light in the world. But this man, this one man, brought a slim line of light back into her world, one that had not been visible for most of her life.

'_What the hell am I thinking….'_

Within a few minutes the pair was at HQ. Rock helped Revy walk her way into her room. He removed her arm from his shoulder and gently set her down on the bed. She sat on the edge with her head tilted down and held one of her hands to her head.

"I'll get you up a few hours before the flight. It's going to be a long day tomorrow so you'll be able to sleep off the hangover on the flight." Rock told her as he turned around made his way to the door. "Good night Revy." He said quietly as he left the room.

Revy lifted her head and starred at the door that was slightly ajar. She didn't know what to make of her mixed emotions right then. She judged it that it was partly the alcohol, ok, it was all the alcohol. She removed her jean shorts as she always did when sleeping and laid down on her side waiting for sleep to take her for a few hours before having to get up, for more sleep.

Rock shut his door and stared at his room wondering what to do first. He wasn't as affected by the alcohol as Revy had been and felt that he was coherent enough to lay out some clothing for the trip. The business attire he was accustom to was always what he wore. But for this trip they were going to Miami in the middle of summer. And it never hurt to have something different so that he wouldn't be recognized. He hoped that Revy would agree but he kept his hopes low there. Rock walked over to the closet and pulled out some clothes from his trunk, one of which was the Hawaiian shirt that Revy had given him.

'_This shirt is ugly, but hopefully it'll keep Revy calm and it could work as a decent disguise, just in case anyone might recognize us.' _Rock thought placing the shirt in his suitcase next to the trunk. He was packing light, probably for only a three day trip at the most. He continued to pack everything that he needed from shirts to pants, but no white shirt or ties in there. Sleep could wait a bit, he'd have plenty of it for the plane ride over the ocean.

Sleep for Revy however did not come easy or rather not at all, even after ingesting a nice amount of liquor into her system. She tossed and turned having a recurring nightmare every few minutes and waking up in a quiet gasp. The nightmare was the same and it wouldn't go away. Rock holding his new gun, shooting at enemies around him, protecting herself and Dutch as they lay injured. But it's not enough; reinforcements come in with sub-machine guns of different types. Rock tells them to get out of there to the protests of Revy. Dutch understands though that it's his final wish and grabs Revy and with one good arm carries Revy to the safety of the Lagoon, but she screams Rock's name as he smiles at her and Dutch and begins to shoot again, taking out a few enemies before he is rattled with bullets.

It's not the first time that she has had that type of dream.

'_Why do I keep having these dreams? Every single one he sacrifices himself to save us. Every time he does that. I've killed hundreds of men before so why does the possibility of his death scare me so much?' _Revy thought sitting up in her bed, part of her tank top hanging off her shoulder. She didn't feel the effects the alcohol anymore, it had been a few hours. She couldn't sleep though, not without knowing he was safe. She was a killing machine and didn't care about anyone else, but yet he kept creeping back into her mind. Her legs moved of their own accord and stood her up. She walked to the door and down the hall to his room and opened the door which was still ajar. Rock was asleep on his bed, his back facing her.

'_Bastard, how in the hell can he sleep when I'm having nightmares about him.' _Revy glared at him. However, her anger subsided and she walked into the room and noticed the suitcase at the foot of his bed packed up and his gun on top.

'_All ready to go, figures.' _Revy smirked as she walked closer to his bed. Kneeling down, she reached out to him and shook him gently.

'_What the fuck is wrong with me? Why in the hell don't I just shout him awake? I must be losing my mind.' _Revy thought in disgust.

But she didn't stop what she was doing.

"Rocky baby, wake up." Revy said a little louder, feeling the last effects of the liquor kick in one last time. Rock mumbled something before moving slightly and waking himself up. He took a moment to collect himself and see where he was. He flipped over and saw Revy kneeling next to him and looking at him with a calm face.

"What? Revy, what's going on?" Rock asked slightly confused and sitting up in his bed. Revy didn't reply and just looked at him for the longest time. Rock put a hand to her forehead to check her temperature.

"Are you sick or something? Why are you so quiet?" Rock asked her removing his hand. Revy began to growl and then quickly stood up.

"Damn it! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Revy shouted at him.

"For crying out loud, I thought you were sick or something! You sneak into my room half naked, wake me up and then shout at me?!" Rock shouted back. Revy shot him a glare and turned around heading for the door.

"Figures, guess I'll go back to sleep." Rock groaned and turned over.

"Rock, wait." Revy spoke back up.

"What?" Rock turned over, annoyed. However, his mood changed when he saw her standing before him. Her eyes, they were different. They were the shade of a sad person, someone that Revy was never known for. She never had shown that to anyone as far as he knew.

"Revy?" Rock asked again. Revy simply walked over to him and sat down on his bed not looking at him.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" Revy asked without looking at him.

"What?" Rock asked her, slightly shocked.

"Please don't make me ask again." Revy requested in a more serious voice. Rock wasn't sure how to answer this one. She had never been like this before.

"How do want to sleep?" was all he could muster. Revy simply smirked at his question.

"Like a couple would I guess, holding each other and shit?" Revy suggested. Rock was slightly taken aback by the request but didn't blush or anything of the sort. There was always an attraction between the two of most unlikely pairs. A white collar business man and a homicidal, gun toting chick, a match made somewhere in the insanity of the world.

"Sure thing Revy, but, can I ask why?" Rock questioned her. Revy didn't answer him right away, still figuring out her own answers to those questions.

"We have a long plane ride tomorrow right? I'll tell you then." Revy closed her eyes and scooted closer to Rock. He didn't argue with her, some things weren't worth arguing when it came to her. He grasped her around the waist and pulled her down back onto the bed with him. The contact was unusual for her but she didn't ignore it, it actually felt nice, something that she rarely felt.

'_Feels really nice, not sure if I should feel this way at all though.' _Revy thought, instinctively wrapping her arms around his torso and resting against his shoulder. It was something that she never felt or at least hadn't felt since she was a little girl. She couldn't recall. Right now though, it didn't matter, she was content and….happy, truly happy for the first time in a long time.

* * *

"You see Revy or Rock?" Dutch asked Benny.

"Nope, not since they left the ship. Could be drinking right now or at HQ." Benny answered sitting back in the chair after packing his things for France.

"Nice." Dutch sighed. "Not a good thing to hear, but I guess they've gotten in worse trouble when sober. Hopefully it'll go over without a hitch."

"Hopefully is an understatement. By the way, you comfortable with lending them the car? You do know I cherish the hell out of it." Benny smiled.

"Nope, it deserves to see its home country, and I doubt it'd stick out in Miami of all places." Dutch replied calmly.

"And you're sure that Rock will be able to operate it correctly?" Benny asked him.

"I wouldn't call it operating, but yeah, I have faith in him." Dutch turned his chair around and looked at Benny. "You know that saying about the quiet ones?"

"That you should watch out for the quiet ones?" Benny countered.

"Yeah, I think that's a load of bullshit. I think that because he's the one that keeps the human element in this life we live. And yet the human element is a twisted one. The people that live life in comfort or what they think is supposed comfort, things like Rock used to have, don't understand that the human mind is a fragile thing, that it can be broken in an instant." Dutch explained.

"So we're now officially in a lecture in college?" Benny smiled.

"Maybe, but I'm trying to get something that's been on my chest for a while. Saying that a mind can be broken in an instant is true, but it can also be broken over years of torment. The mind can be destroyed at any given moment. These are lessons I learned in Vietnam over my years of combat and watching my comrades be killed, go insane from the fighting, from the death around them." Dutch said taking a inhale of his cigarette.

"Surprised that you would even tell me all this." Benny closed his eyes and took in his words.

"However, the human body, the human mind especially is an amazing thing. It can be healed, in time, with help from others and in the rarer cases, with love. What I've found is that in twenty plus years since I left the service, what's helped me be able to cope with the loses of the men I fought with, good friends of mine, is that I remember what we did in the war, that we fought to try and save people from evil. We didn't succeed looking back on it. But we did for a brief time until the world took a turn and they took it right back. What I realize then is that some things couldn't be stopped but that at least my comrades and I fought the good fight."

Dutch took looked outside the window to the night sky.

"Night's like this came seldom for us, a calm that settled over the air. And we were scared for our lives, wondering if this was the night we would die? And we thought, this is what the German's must have felt like in their last days of war. I don't pretend to compare Nazi Germany to America, because one country didn't do the things another did. But then we decided that we could decide what was right or wrong and that what we were doing was truly right, not because history says so, but because _we _said so. I assume German troops did the same in their war as did the Vietcong, This is what drives lesser people insane, but it's what keeps me going, knowing what I did was right, that saving lives of other people from oppression that would see them killed, that doing everything we could do was what made it worth it." Dutch finished taking a drink of water.

"And I'm guessing this has something to do with Rock and Revy?" Benny replied.

"I'm not going to say that she will ever be a normal person, none of us are really. But I think if anyone can help her, it's him. When I hired Revy, I did because I saw a chance to fix a person that needed it, but also because of her skill with a gun. However, I knew that she couldn't be repaired by me but someone else. So she remained because of her skill." Dutch explained.

"So she was someone that you wanted to fix." Benny chuckled at his statement. "I don't believe that at all."

"Yeah, you shouldn't, hell that's what I tell myself anyways. I probably hired her based on her skills alone and the need for a living. But, bringing Rock on has helped me see it another way, or I'm just going on bullshitting you and myself. Who knows?" Dutch laughed quietly then stood from his chair.

"Gonna get some sleep?" Benny asked.

"Yeah, figure I may as well, you?" Dutch replied.

"Doubt it; I'll sleep on the plane." Benny answered.

"Right, well, hopefully will see the two crazy people in the morning before their flight leaves. If not, hopefully in a few days." Dutch said entering his quarters on the Lagoon for some sleep. Benny nodded and continued his own maintenance.

* * *

Said crazy people had woken up, or rather Rock had woken up first and then Revy, in a comfortable way considering how opposite they were. They were still snuggled together at the time, but they didn't make it awkward and simply kept quiet about. Rock wanted to talk to Revy about the situation last night but thought better of it. Revy simply looked at him before leaving the room to get her things together, giving him a rare but small smile. Truth be told, Revy didn't want to leave the embrace, but she would have been damned if she told him that. Two hours later, they were at the landing strip waiting for their flight to take off. They had noticed that one plane was larger than the other, almost as if it was a cargo plane. Dutch and Benny then pulled up in the GTO next to them.

"Still waiting I see, did you two go nuts last night?" Dutch asked stepping out of the GTO but left it running.

"A bit, but nothing we couldn't handle. We're just waiting for the planes to take off. You know what the delay is?" Rock replied.

"The delay is us Rock. The plane you're getting on is simply waiting for us to deliver the GTO." Dutch smiled.

"Wait a sec, Benny, you're letting us take the GTO overseas? What the hell is wrong with you?" Revy asked crossing her arms.

"Dutch is the one that suggested it and said it, not me. Otherwise, I'd never let you take the car." Benny shrugged.

"I have my reasons but you'll need this more than me or Benny will. Take the car and live it up while you're down there, once the delivery is done of course. And don't worry, there's fake license plates on it just for the trip." Dutch smiled as he grabbed his suitcase from the trunk of the GTO and began walking to his and Benny's plane. Rock and Revy simply looked at each other in confusion, but both shrugged it off and got into the GTO.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't." Benny joked as he grabbed his suitcase and followed Benny to his plane.

"Not making any promises." Revy smiled sitting in the passenger seat. Rock simply shook his head and drove the GTO into the cargo hold of the plane. Both quickly got out so the attendants could strap the car down. They were then led by one of the plane's attendants to the door separating cargo from the cabin. Both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the interior was comfortable and not cramped. The noticed the very nice chairs that many passengers of regular plane trips could only hope for. Rock placed his suitcase by one of the chairs and took a seat, making sure his pistol was concealed and comfortable. Revy simply threw her things to the side and plopped onto the seat and relaxed with a smile.

"Now _this _is what we need. Fucking chairs like this on the Lagoon would make for a much better place to relax." Revy sighed kicking her legs up and resting her arms behind her head.

"You know Dutch will never do that." Rock smiled taking out a cassette player. Just then, one of the attendants came into the section of the cabin.

"Alright you two, we'll be stopping by in London first and refueling before we hit the Atlantic Ocean. We should arrive in Miami in around twelve hours." The attendant then returned to the front of the cabin without another word.

"Twelve hours, you're fucking joking right?" Revy groaned hanging her head.

"Afraid not, based on weather conditions, the distance of the flight and refueling, we're lucky it's not a longer flight." Rock replied.

"Great, a long flight and you've already bored me." Revy looked at him with a blank stare.

"Sorry, but it can't be helped. Anyways, I'm going to just listen to some music until we hit London and then maybe sleep." Rock stretched and put a tape into the player.

"Since when the hell do _you _listen to music?" Revy leaned forward with bemused smirk.

"Hey, I may dress the part of the business man, but I have my tastes." Rock said in defense.

"Really, let's see what you got then." Revy leaned over and began to go through his collection of cassettes.

"_Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest, Metallica, Eric Clapton, _I had no idea that you actually listened to this stuff. Sure as shit doesn't sound like you at all." Revy chuckled as she went through each one, seeing others such as _AC/DC, Aerosmith _and more.

"Well, I never listened to this much because of my previous life. But now, I actually get to listen to it and do enjoy it, along with other things." Rock replied untangling his headphones.

"Never thought you'd ever listen to music like that though." Revy simply replied falling back into her chair.

"Being with you guys changed a lot about me. Or rather it opened my eyes to what the world was like." Rock grabbing a bottle of water and taking a drink.

"Really, then what exactly has our world opened your eyes to?" Revy said crossing her legs and resting them on the seat in front of her.

"That the world as a whole is truly a depressing place when you think about it. I suppose that's why a lot of people in my old world seem so happy. They don't know what it's like outside of their comfort zone or they don't want to accept how bad it truly is when they watch the news. There's always going to be evil people in the world and you have to put up with it in a way. But the life that I live know, allows me more freedom than I ever had at my old place in the world, and freedom is what makes it worth it." Rock replied with a small smile.

"The way you're saying it, makes it sound depressing, even for you. Yet somehow you seem like there's a light of _hope_ at the end of it all." Revy scoffed at the word.

"I think there is hope. I think there is ways to love life, but at the same time understand what life is. I think there some balance that everyone has in them. It just takes certain things to find them." Rock explained.

"Hmm, and that's how you feel about life. Man Rock, you really don't change much do you?" Revy chuckled lightly.

"Hey, I bought a gun didn't I? And I'm listening to this kind of music." Rock said innocently, smiling as he looked for an album to listen to.

"Ooh, you're such a badass Rocky baby." Revy sarcastically looked at him with "admiring" eyes, before bursting out laughing.

"Say what you want Revy, but you know you rather see me this way." Rock replied with a sly smile.

"And how the fuck do you know what the fuck I want Rock?!" Revy shouted at him.

"I don't, I'm just guessing." Rock shrugged finding an album to listen to and popping it in the player.

"You're guessing is gonna give you a new asshole." Revy growled at him.

"Well, wake me up you decide to do that." Rock smiled popping in the headphones and began falling asleep to the music. Revy was starting to get upset at her partner's nonchalant attitude.

"Hey! I'm not done!" Revy shouted but Rock simply ignored her. "Rock! Wake up you bastard!" She wanted to go over and punch him but she stopped herself as she looked at his peaceful form.

She didn't want to hurt him, she never did. He knew her better than anyone else. And she still had her own conflicted emotions to deal with. She heard the captain of the plane through the speaker announcing they would be taking off in two minutes. Revy simply ignored it, thinking of what the hell was wrong with her, the minutes ticked by quickly and the shudder of the wheels moved, the engines began to roar and then the rush of gravity and the lift of machinery ran through Revy's body. They were up in the sky on their way to London and then Miami, all the while Revy wondering what the hell she should do.

A mild bit of turbulence shuttered Revy awake and being in a plane didn't exactly reveal where or when she was. She looked around for any signs to try and help her out. She called the attendants for help, but they never showed up.

'_Great fucking service here.' _Revy thought in a pissed off voice before turning to Rock who was now reading a book and humming a tune that she didn't recognize.

"Hey Rock, how long was I out and where the hell are we?" Revy asked him, but he failed to notice. A vein popped in her forehead. She moved over next to him and smacked him across the back of his head.

"Ow!" Rock simply responded with his headphones falling off.

"Good, now that I have your attention, where the hell are we?" Revy asked him again.

"Didn't have to hit me you know, a simple shake or something would do." Rock rubbed the back of his head. Revy simply scoffed. "Anyways Revy, we're over the Atlantic Ocean now. You were passed out there."

"Nice, no wonder I feel so relaxed. And what the hell were you humming anyways?" Revy asked sitting down next to Rock. He didn't answer her, he simply handed her the headphones and resumed the tape. Revy could hear the sounds of guitar riffs and drums and then heard some of the lyrics and what sounded like the chorus.

"_If you think I'll sit around as the world goes by, You're thinkin' like a fool cause it's a case of do or die, Out there is a fortune waitin' to be had, You think I'll let it go you're mad, You've got another thing comin'."_

"Well that's certainly a surprise, listening to _You Got Another Thing Coming _is pretty damn awesome." Revy smiled handing him back the headphones.

"Hey, I think it's describes our lives perfectly. I think there's a song that describes us all though." Rock replied placing the headphones and player to the side.

"Can only imagine what song describes you." Revy laughed.

"Well I've got a good idea of what your song is." Rock replied.

"And what would that be Rocky baby?" Revy asked with a smirk.

"_Breaking the Law _or _Bad Company _." Rock simply replied.

"Ok, I'll give you those two." Revy said taking a drink of Bacardi from the bag next to her chair.

"Well, I've given you my opinion. What song you think would describe me?" Rock asked looking at her. Revy didn't know how to answer that one because honestly she never thought about it.

"The fact that you're asking me is dumb but I'll give it a shot. Give me a few minutes." Revy said as she crossed her arms and thought about it.

"Ok, call me crazy, but thinking about the lyrics to the song and you're previous life, I'd have to go with _Crazy Train" _Revy said. Rock began to snicker and then busted out laughing.

"What the hell are you laughing at?!" Revy glared at him.

"It's just, oh, it's just, I never would have thought you would say that." Rock replied calming down.

"But that's what I really think you bastard. You lived that life and you're just as mental a nut case as the rest of us." Revy defended and scoffed at him.

"Alright, I guess you're right. It just gets me that you would say that." Rock said looking at her with straight face.

"Yeah, well that's all I got. Besides, what the fuck are we doing talking about shit like this anyway?" Revy asked him taking another drink.

"We still have four and a half hours of flight so we can either talk about something or just sleep." Rock replied grabbing the bottle and taking a swig.

"Well I'm not gonna be able to sleep so what the fuck are we gonna talk about?" Revy looked at him bored. Rock knew what he wanted to talk about, but he thought it was wiser to simply let her decide when to talk. But part of him knew that he had to get her to open up.

"You want to talk about last night?" Rock asked her. She seemed disinterested to it and didn't respond to him.

"Sorry Revy, you don't have to." Rock went to grab his headphones but Revy grabbed his wrist.

"No, I want to talk about it." Revy admitted. Rock slowly turned to face her and wait for her.

"Whenever you want to start Revy." Rock said, handing her the bottle. Revy accepted it and took a good drink of it. She would need it in order to say what she wanted to.

"Last night, was something I really needed. I never had anything like that in my life. I've told you as much, and you know how fucked up my life is. I mean, I fucking take joy in killing people that I hate or are shooting me. But what you said, that there's ray of hope for everyone, it hits me hard. I never shared anything like that or this with anyone. You're the first person that I can remember really sharing with." Revy looked at him with a solemn face.

"Revy…"

"That night, I had the most peaceful sleep I could ever remember. And yet now, it's not enough. It's taking everything in my will to tell you this now because I never had to, never wanted to." Revy sighed fighting to urge to stop and start cursing him out.

"For a while now I've felt like this but I shoved it down to stay strong, to make sure no one would ever see me in a weak state. Even now, it hurts to admit what I'm saying. I'm fucking damaged goods, you know that. And I never have had to deal with this and it's taking everything in my fucking gut to actually say it." Revy admitted.

"Revy, you don't have to say anymore if you don't want. I'm happy that you've said this much. I'm just wondering what brought this about is all." Rock smiled at her. Revy looked at him with a look of….sadness in her eyes.

"I never had to say anything like that, but you made me want to say that, you made me have a heart again you bastard. You made me believe this, even if I didn't see it." Revy smiled at him.

"It wasn't intentional." Rock smiled at her

"I know it wasn't. I don't know how to figure this out, it'll take time you know that right?" Revy told him.

"Yeah, I know. I'm patient and I want to see where it goes, if you want to." Rock replied grasping her hand. She returned the gesture.

"I do you fucker, there may be hope for me yet." Revy smirked then shivered violently.

"Cold?" he simply asked. Revy nodded in response. Rock turned around and saw the lavish interior of this part of the cabin had a decent sized couch towards the side, something he missed when he entered the plane and wasn't sure how he did. Rock leaned over his chair grabbed a blanket, knowing he would probably need it.

"Come on, let's use the couch and stay warm." Rock led the way to the couch; he took a seat by the end. "Where do you want to sit so we can share this?" he asked her. Revy smirked at him with an idea. She sat directly on his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.

"How's this Rocky baby?" she asked him. Rock was staggered but somehow kept himself composed at the thought of her in this position.

"F-fine Revy." Rock blushed but smiled none the less, grabbing the blanket and throwing it over them. Revy didn't know why she was doing this, probably the alcohol, but looking at all the signs, especially how she would be jealous whenever Eda would pull some bullshit, she figured that if she had half a heart she would have done this sooner.

"Rock?"

Rock looked down at her and she looked up at him.

"Thank you." She smiled at him and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Of course." Rock smiled and then smirked with an idea popping into his head. "If you're interested, I think I may have a song that describes us as a pair."

"Oh man, what the hell are doing? You're killing the fucking mood." Revy shook her head.

"I'm surprised that you accepted that we were sharing a moment." Rock chuckled.

"You're killing it Rock." Revy rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I'll say this, just listen to this and you'll agree." Rock said, plugging the cassette player into the small speaker on the couch. He turned the volume up slightly and pushed play. The sound of a guitar stringing together hammer-ons, pull-offs and bends filled the air and the familiar voice of Eric Clapton sang in melody.

"_What'll you do when you get lonely, and nobody's waiting by your side? You've been running and hiding much too long. You know it's just your foolish pride."_

Revy smirked at the lyrics and then the chorus.

"_Layla, you've got me on my knees. Layla, I'm begging, darling please. Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind."_

"You're a real fucking Romeo. God damn this is cheesy as hell." Revy chuckled lightly.

"Change the name of the song and don't tell me that you wouldn't agree." Rock smirked wrapping his arms around her waist. Revy couldn't deny it, sappy as it was, it described the feeling she felt being like this.

"You bastard, stop being so sappy. I'm not used to this yet." Revy snuggled closer to him.

"One step at a time, remember what I said earlier." Rock reminded her. "I think there's some balance that everyone has in them. It just takes certain things to find them."

"Or certain people." Revy simply replied, referring to him.

"…or certain people." Rock simply replied.

"Now can we stop talking about songs and shit and just enjoy the music?" Revy asked him wrapping her arms around his torso.

"Sure, what do you want to listen to?" he asked back.

"Nothing sappy, something that rocks and kicks ass." She answered. Rock managed to escape her grasp momentarily and grabbed three cassettes.

"Take your pick." He responded hold up three different albums. Revy looked up and saw the choices she had to pick from which were _Guns N' Roses_ first album_ "Appetite for Destruction", Alice in Chains "Facelift" _and _Van Halen's _debut album.

"Throw in _Appetite._ And I hope you don't have any fucking Bon Jovi anywhere otherwise I'll have to beat the shit out of you." Revy warned with a smirk. Rock laughed, making a mental note to destroy or hide his Bon Jovi tapes as he put in _Appetite_ _for Destruction_ and they let themselves fall asleep to the music.

'_Good thing Sis told the attendants that we could do this. Now I can enjoy this time with Rock.'_

So the pair listened to Axl Rose's voice as he growled out _"Welcome to the Jungle" _and began to fall asleep warmed up from the cold air of the Atlantic Ocean.

* * *

"Dutch, you get a weird feeling just now?" Benny asked as he stretched from the seat, a little more than two hours outside of France.

"Nope, why you ask?" Dutch asked him putting down his magazine.

"I don't know, feels like a major shift in our world just happened." Benny replied sitting back and grabbing one of the magazines on computers he hadn't read yet.

"You know I don't want to know about that shit." Dutch replied taking a drink of beer.

"I know, it just feels like something big just happened, like a major weight had been lifted." Benny shrugged.

"Don't say things you don't know about Benny, bad luck coming from that if you do. Or at the least, don't give me a lecture on life." Dutch replied with a chuckle.

"I wasn't going to anyway, just felt weird. It's not like it could be something to do with Rock and Revy finding some sort of relationship." Benny and Dutch looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"If that happens, the world will end the next day." Dutch joked and laughed hard.

"Want to make a bet of it?" Benny suggested.

"Alright what's the bet?" Dutch replied.

"It concerns those two. I wouldn't ordinarily make a bet here but because of that sudden deal I feel like making that bet." Benny explained.

"Shoot." Dutch answered.

"Alright, I'm taking the bet that when we get back, that they'll have _some _kind of relationship. Not a friendship, I'm talking relationship." Benny explained.

"Alright, I'll do you one better. I'll bet that when they get back, they'll be in a _full _relationship. Kissin', fuckin', all that shit." Dutch replied.

"Man, you're really taking the bet to the next level there. Let's do it." Benny grinned.

"Alright, what's the wager?" Dutch asked.

"When the jobs are complete and payment is received, loser has to give $10,000 of his $50,000 to the winner." Benny explained the bet.

"And how do we determine what relationship they're in?" Dutch asked.

"That….could be a problem. Revy will force him not to say anything and we know Revy won't say a fucking thing either. Shit, we haven't thought this through have we?" Benny asked.

"I think we'll know when they get back." Dutch replied with a grin.

"Ok and if it's still the same, then it's a draw." Benny explained.

"Agreed." Dutch nodded.

"Anyway, what's the plan besides go in, deliver, and get out? You can't be sure that it'll go over without a hitch. And I'm not exactly good with a gun." Benny reminded him.

"Well, that's where I've already planned ahead just in case. I've hired a few extra guns to scout the area and make sure they have our asses covered from the hills. Expert snipers are a really good thing to have on board to protect. They're no Revy, but they're pretty damn good." Dutch explained.

"And how did you pay them?" Benny asked him.

"Balalaika owed me a favor from a job way back when and I never cashed it in until now." Dutch replied.

"I see, must not have been what you wanted to use it for protecting my sorry ass." Benny smiled.

"It's not a problem and it's about the most I was going to get out of her anyways. So at least we'll have some cover fire if needed. As for the drop point, it's going to be delivered directly into the person it's intended for. It's in their HQ but the office apparently has a nice amount of windows for the snipers to guard us." Dutch explained.

"Then why bring me?" Benny leaned forward.

"Because I need you keeping an eye on the snipers and making sure they're in position ready to fire in case shit goes down." Dutch answered him.

"I see, well at least I'll be away from the guns then. But just to make sure, I'd take that 870 Remington with your revolver." Benny suggested.

"Already planning on it, hopefully I'll be able to keep the safety on. Once this shit is delivered, we're getting the fuck out of France." Dutch gritted his teeth.

"Still don't like Paris huh?" Benny leaned back, resting his head against his arms.

"Not one fucking bit." Dutch replied going back to his magazine.

* * *

Revy felt a violent shudder stirring her from her sleep. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw that she was still seated underneath Rock's blanket and still sitting on his lap. The music had stopped playing and there was a quiet silence around them. But she was comfortable and didn't want to wake up. She snuggled back into his embrace and rested, just enjoying the warmth.

'_Still can't believe that I'm fucking doing this. What the hell is wrong with me?' _she thought, taking in his scent. _'Least he smells good.'_

"Revy, that tickles." Rock said quietly, startling her a bit. She wouldn't say that though.

"A tickle or a punch, your choice." Revy said back. Rock's answer was to simply hold her closer. "Keep doing that Rocky and you may see one of two things happening, one very nice and the other very violent."

"And why the two choices, why not just the nice one?" Rock said nervously softening his grasp on her.

"I didn't say stop did I?" Revy replied with a smirk.

"But you said…" Rock said.

"I know what I said, but I'm not going to be the little girl who wants to be held every second. I'm not going to change who am I completely…but it doesn't mean I don't like what we have here. I told you, it's going to take some getting used to this and see where it goes." Revy smiled feeling another violent shudder of the cabin.

"Damn it! Why the fuck is this plane continue to keep shaking?!" Revy growled looking around.

"I think we've landed in Miami." Rock explained looking out the window and seeing palm trees and sunny beaches.

"And the captain couldn't have said anything?!" Revy continued growling.

"I think he did, you were just asleep." Rock answered.

"And you didn't wake me?" Revy shot back.

"Sorry, I wasn't sure how you'd react." Rock answered.

"You've woken me up in my own apartment with my ass being half naked and I didn't kill you then. I think you would've been fine here." Revy sighed.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting." Rock apologized.

"You're lucky you're the only man I actually give a shit about." Revy laughed as the plane came to a stop.

"What about Dutch and Benny?" Rock said removing the blanket.

"Them two, but not as much." Revy answered while getting up and stretching her arms and legs. Rock did the same and went over to his suitcase and opened it grabbing a shirt, one that Revy recognized.

"Is that the shirt I gave you two years ago?" Revy asked grabbing her guns and taking the holsters around her chest.

"Yep, I didn't get rid of it. I also think it would be good here since it's sunny beaches and a good cover." Rock replied.

"A shirt doesn't do much for camo Rock, but I'm glad you kept it." Revy replied. Rock smiled and then saw that she wasn't going to be very discreet with her guns hanging out.

"Revy, do you have anything to cover your guns?" Rock asked.

"Of course I do. Just give me a second." Revy answered back going to here bag and grabbing a button down shirt and throwing it on. "Put some buttons up and it hides my guns."

"Nice." Rock simply replied.

"You expect me not to where my jean shorts in Miami? It's fucking Miami!" Revy laughed, grabbing her small bag and heading to the rear of the plane into the cargo hold, Rock following suit. They threw their things into the trunk of the GTO and hit the cargo hold door, not bothering to wait for the attendants to undo the ties. Revy simply shot the ties off from their locks while Rock got inside and started the car up. Revy hopped in through the window. The cargo door lowered and Rock shifted the car into reserve and gunned it out the plane, quickly shifted into first gear and gunned it through the airport, leaving a trail of smoke behind.

"Hello Miami, hope you're ready for the fucking ride of your life!" Revy shouted out the window as they hit the road into the city. Rock simply shook his head and grabbed the slip of paper taped to the dashboard.

"Let's see, this says that we have four hours from now to make the delivery and this location here is saying here that it will take about two hours to drive there." Rock said more to himself than to Revy.

"So we have two hours to kill, let's live it up first!" Revy shouted in excitement.

"We have two days to kill if we get it done first. Would you rather get crazy first or have an extra two hours before the flight takes off in a few days?" Rock mock asked her.

"Damn it Rock, I hate just sitting and waiting!" Revy sighed falling backing into the seat.

"Well the place we're going is more off road so we could have some fun in the GTO. This thing can drift pretty good." Rock explained.

"Since when the hell do you know how to drift?" Revy scoffed at his remark.

"Dutch took me out about six months ago and showed me some things, that and just from watching." Rock replied.

"Well, let's see what you can do." Revy suggested with a smirk. Rock simply smiled in response. He saw a corner coming up and saw there were no cars in the area. With a quick jerk of the wheel to the right, he pushed the clutch and downshifted into second gear from third and hit the throttle. The tail of the car kicked out as he turned right and with a quick flick of the wheel to the left and kept the car in control as he accelerated the car and short shifted into third gear causing the car to straighten out and tear down the road.

"Alright, you can drive the car pretty fucking good. Glad Benny changed it to a stick shift." Revy smiled as the adrenaline rush began to wear down. She grabbed one of her cigarettes and lit one up. It had been hours since she had one.

"I swear these things will kill me." She joked taking a drag of the smoke.

"Probably, you haven't benn killed by any bullets yet." Rock joked back.

"Ain't no bullet strong enough to stop me." Revy grinned.

Rock took that statement with some disdain. Sure she hadn't killed by any bullets yet, despite thousands of them being fired her way. But she had taken bullets in the arm, kunai in her arms, a samurai sword to her knee. The thoughts of her death occurred to him very rarely, but the moments it did come to him, it put a sinking feeling in gut. He started to focus simply on driving the car as they hit the back roads towards the location they needed to arrive at. Revy took note of the silence that followed, wondering what had gotten him so down. But she shrugged it off, not realizing what it actually was so she simply passed out again from boredom. She didn't realize that a simple nap could go by so quick.

"Revy, wake up." Rock shook her away. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"What is it?" she asked shaking her head awake.

"We're here." Rock simply stated. Revy took a look around and saw that they were in a clearing with a pair of buildings in it, or what was left of them as they were abandoned apparently with windows busted and rust taking the metal while vines covered much of it.

"Go figure they'd want it here. I'm keeping my guns loaded. You'd better do the same with your M-1911." Revy suggested arming both her Berettas with a bullet in the chamber…..safety on of course to keep her from being shot by accident.

"Alright, but I don't intend to shoot unless I'm being shot at." Rock replied grabbing his gun from the seat.

"That kind of attitude will get you killed Rocky baby." Revy replied matter of fact as she got of the GTO. Rock got out as well and went to the back of the car and retrieved the suitcase from the trunk. They didn't see anyone outside and assumed that they must be inside. The entered the building closest to them and saw that lights illuminated the building with about twenty or so men armed with AK-47s that were instantly aimed at them. Revy drew her guns from their holsters, ready to kill every single one of them.

"We're here to deliver this to your boss or whoever is in charge. You out number us twenty to two, there's no need to keep your guns up at us." Rock calmly stated putting his arms up chest level and hands open.

"Rock what the fuck are you doing?" Revy gritted quietly.

"Trust me would you?" Rock whispered back.

"Tell her to lower her guns to the ground and we'll do the same." The man said in a thick American accent. Rock looked over to Revy and nodded at her. She looked at him in shock.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Revy told him.

"Don't forget Revy, I have mine too. I can toss it to you if need be." Rock whispered. But before Revy even put her guns on the ground a man walked into the room from out back.

"Let her keep her guns, it's twenty assault rifles versus her two pistols. And there's no cover in here either so they would be gunned down in moments." The heavyset man said as he took a seat by a desk that had multiple maps and sheets of info on it.

"Come, let's have a moment of relax and get this transaction going." The man said with a smile. Rock and Revy looked at each other with question.

"Well, you're the sensible one. Go ahead and talk Rock before I kill him." Revy replied holstering her weapons. Rock smiled as he pulled up a chair to the desk.

"Your friend is quite the trigger happy one." The man said, his smile still present.

"She can be, but she knows when it's best not to shoot up everyone in sight. Anyways, here is that information that you requested. We haven't opened it as everything should be in order." Rock explained as he handed the briefcase the man across the table. The thick accented man open it to make sure everything was still in check.

"Very good, since everything is here our business is done." The thick accented man replied standing from his seat. Rock did the same and walked over to Revy.

"If that is all, then we'll be on our way." Rock said as he led Revy to the double doors, but they quickly closed in front of them.

"Sorry, but I cannot allow anyone that knows of my location or my deeds to leave alive. I am truly sorry." The man said, motioning his soldiers to ready their weapons.

"You motherfucking, limp dick, son of a bitch. You have anything idea who you're fucking with?!" Revy growled grabbing her weapons, angered at him and concern for Rock's wellbeing over running her.

"No and I don't care. I have an army compared to you two right now." The man laughed at his supposed advantage.

"Rock, get your gun ready and run for the columns of the building. They aren't much, but they'll protect you from some bullets." Revy whispered to him, hoping she would be right.

"What about you?" Rock said back.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Revy assured him. Rock nodded and didn't wait as he quickly ran to cover behind the column closest to him.

"Forget about him! Shoot the girl first! Fire!" the man ordered. Bullets started spraying across the entire building as Revy started to dodge and weave her way around the AKs-47s. She made quick work of ten soldiers, getting fortunate headshots to save ammo. Taking cover behind the column to her right, she quickly reloaded and notices Rock was shooting his M-1911 but wasn't hitting anything.

"Rock, damn it! Don't waste fucking bullets!" Revy shouted at him.

"I'm trying Revy! Not exactly my fucking foray here!" Rock shouted back.

"No shit!" Revy said shooting some suppressing fire back, taking out two more soldiers. Rock then noticed a few grenades had rolled around to him his feet.

"Revy, I've got concussion grenades!" Rock shouted.

"Then fucking pull the pins and throw it!" Revy shouted back. Rock quickly pulled the pins on two of them and threw them at the last remaining group of soldiers, sending them back as they became disorientated. Revy quickly stepped out, took aim and shot the remaining soldiers in quick succession. Brain matter and blood were all over the floor as the last bullets were fired and Revy was looking for the thick accented man.

"That son of a bitch fucking ran!" Revy said loading new ammo clips into her Berettas.

"I think I saw him head out the back!" Rock shouted as he began to run towards the rear of the building.

"Shit! Revy, get to the car, he's getting away!" Rock shouted as he grabbed her and ran to the GTO. Just as they got into the car, they saw him leave in a high powered Mercedes Coupe down the back roads.

"Son of a bitch thinks he's gonna get away, he's got another thing coming!" Revy gritted through her teeth. Coincidentally, she hit the dash which started the radio and the lyrics to a certain song started blasting.

'_If you think I'll sit around as the world goes by, You're thinkin' like a fool 'cause it's a case of do or die…'_

"You got to be kidding." Revy laughed as Rock started the car and shifted into gear, taking off after the Mercedes down the dirt roads. Rock paid no mind to the song, he was pissed. He was going to get this guy for pulling this shit. Revy started shooting at his tires and smiled while doing it.

"You got another thing coming, motherfucker!" Revy shouted, syncing it to the lyrics on the radio.

'_Seems she's taking these songs pretty damn well.' _Rock thought. Just as he finished that thought, he saw that the man was throwing a set of spikes out the window.

"Shit! Revy, get down!" Rock shouted pulling her into the car, but not before she was able to get two shots off, hitting his shoulder and the rear tire of the car.

The Mercedes quickly veered off the road and then flipped end over end before landing on its roof. Meanwhile, Rock pulled Revy down to the seat while he tried desperately to keep it stable as the spikes punctured two of the tires. Skidding across the dirt, he hit a tree with the back end of the car causing some cosmetic damage but nothing serious. It was good thing because it actually stopped them and kept them from falling off the side down a steep embankment. Rock caught his breath and then looked down at Revy.

"Revy, are you ok?" Rock asked as she lifted herself, noticing that she had two bullet grazes against her arm and leg, with some blood dripping from the wounds.

"I'm ok, just some damage." Revy smiled at him. However, for some reason Rock was beyond pissed, seeing Revy like this sent his blood boiling. Grabbing his gun, he opened the door and slammed it shut as he went to seek vengeance. Revy looked on in shock, not bothering to attend to her wounds, she grabbed her Berettas and followed him. The look in his eyes, they weren't normal for him, they were full of hate, just full of hate. Just as she got around to the over turned Mercedes, she saw him beating the man to a pulp with the butt of his gun. Apparently he had been able to crawl out and tried to make a break for it. He might have had a chance if his legs weren't broken.

"You son of a bitch! How dare you fucking pull that shit on us! We delivered your fucking package and then you try to kill us! Do you know who we are?!" Rock shouted as he continued to hit the man with his pistol. However, he was stopped by the one person he least expected. Revy grasped his wrist to stop him.

"Rock, it's ok. Stop before you kill him." Revy sadly smiled at him. She pulled him away from the man and had him wait behind her.

"Alright you son of a bitch, any last words? Perhaps explaining why you tried to kill us?" Revy smiled putting her gun to his temple.

"You fucking bitch! It was nothing more than business!" the man growled, spitting blood in the process.

"Really, then I guess me putting a bullet through your skull is just business. You must be an idiot since you had all your men with guns in the warehouse and none to protect you out here." Revy smirked.

"Fuck you, you piece of shit skank. I hope you get raped by Satan himself." The man spit in her face. It was one of the last mistakes he would make, but not before feeling the pain of two gun shots to his knees and howling in pain.

Only Revy didn't fire them.

Rock stood over the man with his gun barrel smoking and an evil glare on his face.

"Rock…" Revy gasped at him as he stood beside her, his breaths raising and lowering quickly. He put the temple of his gun to the man's forehead and looked at him with piercing eyes. Rock had his finger on the trigger, ready to end the man's life. Revy looked at him and time seemed to slow down as she watched the scene play out in front of her. And something inside her didn't like what she was seeing. She grasped his hand and pulled the gun down.

"Don't. Let him suffer out here in the middle of nowhere." Revy said pulling him back and looking him in the eyes. Revy was never the voice of reason, and if it had been anyone else holding that gun, she would have let him shoot them. However, Rock was different and for whatever reason, she didn't want that to happen.

"Revy, this man hurt you, he tried to kill you." Rock said defiantly.

"I know, and he tried to do the same to you. But I don't want this, not you doing this." Revy said taking the gun from his hand holstering it for him. They looked at each other deeply, Rock feeling his blood lust cool down. The silence between the two was broken by laughter in the air.

"The mean dog is stopped because the bitch of the tough woman spoke to his heart. Haha!" the man laughed at them.

"Revy, I'm going to turn away. Do what you want to do." Rock said taking a walk over to the side of the hill and lit up a smoke. Revy glared at the man and walked over to him, shooting the man in his elbows and again in the knee caps.

"I was going to let you suffer without any more pain than you already had. But now, you're going to really suffer for trying to kill my partner." Revy smacked him with the butt her gun.

She grabbed a screw driver that had flown from the trunk of the Mercedes and then punctured the gas tank that was shown now that the car was overturned on its side. She took the now soaked screwed driver and flung it at the man, gasoline flinging onto his shirt and pants while the tank began to leak gas on the ground next to him. He suddenly realized in fear of what was going to happen.

"Listen, I was hired to do this by someone, it was just business. Please, I have a wife and children." The man began to beg.

"You think you're going to live after this?" Revy pressed the barrel of her gun against his chin.

"You have two bullets lodged in each of your knees. You're never going to walk again. You think that after trying to kill my partner that I would help you, even at his request? And as for your family, let me tell you something, anyone desperate enough to save themselves will say just about anything. If you have a family, I'm doing them a huge favor. But I'm willing to bet you don't." Revy said before turning to Rock.

"Give me your lighter Rock." Revy ordered. Rock didn't bother to turn around. He simply grabbed it and tossed it over his shoulder, Revy catching it in midair. She took note of his quiet stance and decided she would talk to him later about it.

"Before I light you up, tell me what's in that briefcase?" Revy ordered with a look of anger on her face. The man looked at her with fear in his eyes.

"The payment for killing you….and him…." He answered in a stutter.

"I see, how much?" Revy asked him.

"One hundred thousand." The man simply answered as he began to accept his fate.

"Not enough to kill us with, and I know that Hotel Moscow would never have us killed, so tell me, we're those attendants on the plane yours, did they change the briefcase or fill the money? Answer wisely and I may burn your body after you're dead, not before." Revy asked flicking the lighter.

"Yes, they were men and women that gave us the money. They infiltrated Hotel Moscow and they were ordered by our contact to fill the money in the case and deliver it to us. Then we fulfill our end of the deal." The man explained calming his nerves.

"I see, they should have killed us on the plane then. At least they would have died there and taken us with them. Now, I intend to kill them too." Revy replied walking over to the car.

"Last question, anything to fix the tires on our car with?"

The man simply nodded to a kit over by the passenger door. Revy grabbed it and examined it before tossing to Rock, not in the mood to simply hand it to him.

"Rock, go fix the tires before they lose any more air." Revy ordered. Rock simply tossed his cigarette and went to the GTO about one hundred yards away and began to fix the tires, not wanting to hear any more of the conversation.

"So, do I die by gunshot or by fire?" the man asked calmly, hoping it'd be the quick and easy way. Revy put the gun to his temple.

"You'll die with pride and for helping us. You're friends though, will not meet the same quick easy death." Revy said wrapping her finger around the trigger and cocking the hammer.

A single gunshot rang out in the air.

Rock had been able to fix the tires and refill the air with an air pump that Benny had conveniently put in the trunk of the car. He was now sitting the driver's seat with the engine running and ready to go. Revy walked over and sat in the passenger's seat, suitcase with money in hand. Rock shifted the car into gear and took off down the road past the burning car and body. Revy attended to her wounds by wrapping bandages around the grazes while Rock simply remained silent and drove. Hours passed by as they made their way back into Miami, unsure of what was awaiting them. Rock was strangely quiet and Revy decided not push the issue right now, they had to get to a phone and get in contact with Dutch. Stopping over by a pay phone, Revy grabbed the contact number to reach Dutch ready to call him. She took a quick look at Rock who was still silent.

"I'll be back in a minute." Revy said, Rock answering with a nod. Revy simply shook her head and sighed at him and went to the payphone and dialed the number.

"Come on Dutch, pick the fuck up." Revy muttered as the line rang. Finally, someone picked it up and the voice she heard breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, is that you Revy?" Dutch answered over the line.

"It's me Dutch, we had some problems. Real major fucking problems." Revy said with an aggravated voice.

"Yeah, we did too. Motherfuckers tried to ice us as soon as we delivered the suitcase." Dutch replied over the phone.

"Same here, fuckers we're paid one hundred grand to kill Rock and myself, all conveniently delivered in those suitcases we took. " Revy explained.

"No shit, same with us and the men we hired to cover us almost took us out too. A fucking a setup. Looks like we got our two hundred grand though? You think Balalaika has anything to do with this?" Dutch asked.

"Doubt it, but I wouldn't say never. From what I can tell, they infiltrated Hotel Moscow in order to get to us. Whoever set this up had inside info, or at least knew enough about us to do this." Revy replied.

"My thoughts exactly. Is Rock ok?" Dutch asked her. Revy looked over at him who was simply leaning forward on the steering wheel.

"Yeah…yeah he's fine. Dumbass did pretty fucking well with his gun." Revy smiled over the line.

"Kill anyone?" Dutch replied.

"Nah, but he laid down good suppressing fire and didn't get me killed. I'd say he did well." Revy answered.

"Good, he's not dead and neither are you. We have this payment and maybe more if Balalaika didn't order the hit on us. Four hundred grand total if we're lucky." Dutch replied.

"Fucking A. By the way, tell Benny that there's some damage to the GTO, but only some dents in the panels." Revy said over the line.

"WHAT?!" Benny shouted.

"It's on speaker Revy." Dutch chuckled. Revy simply sighed and smirked.

"Tell him he'll have money to fix the fucking thing and that he's lucky it's not destroyed." Revy said, hearing Benny's protest over the phone.

"Right, well fuck, you're both stuck there for at least another day. Let's see what Balalaika can do for us getting a ride back home without getting you two killed. Hopefully she's not in on this." Dutch replied.

"If she is, she'll be six feet under with the rest of them." Revy replied.

"Don't go crazy Two-Hands. For now, just lay low and give me a call tomorrow at three o' clock." Dutch ordered.

"Gotcha." Revy said before hearing the receiver on the other line go dead. She hung up her phone and walked back over to the GTO and got in the passenger's seat.

"Well Rock, we're here for another day at least. What do you want to do?" Revy asked him. Rock simply shrugged.

"It's up to you Revy." Rock simply replied. Revy pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Alright, let's go get some Bacardi and find some place to down it. There's a liquor store about a mile from here I think. Let's go Rocky baby." Revy smirked, noting that he was still silent as he started the car up again.

'_This isn't him.'_

Soon enough, they had bought their drinks and pulled up along an old boat port which hadn't been used in years. Rock still didn't say anything as he sat on the dock looking out to the sea watching the sun set slowly. Revy walked over to him and sat down.

"You ok?" she asked him looking at him. Rock simply shook his head.

"Pretty fucked up day huh?" she then added.

"No different than any other we experience." Rock simply replied with no expression. Revy was a little disappointed he didn't use his smile to joke it away.

"There's no shame in what happened Rock. I know you aren't a gun person." Revy tried to console him in her way.

"It's not the gun. It was the fact that I was that close to killing him. I said I would use the gun in self-defense, never like that." Rock said looking at his weapon then turned to looked at her. Revy was starting to get pissed off now.

"Rock, you need to stop being so fucking depressed about this. You didn't do anything wrong you dumbass. Ah damn it, I knew this was bad getting you a gun." Revy said to herself.

"You weren't complaining at the time." Rock defended himself.

"Yeah well if I knew you'd be this depressed about it, I wouldn't have done it." Revy replied.

"Fuck this, I'm not gonna sit here and listen to this." Rock said getting up and beginning to walk away.

"Hey, get the fuck back here! I'm not finished!" Revy shouted back.

"Why?! So I can hear more bullshit spew out about how I'm bad at this or I'm not what you want me to be. I'm not you Revy, I never will be. This isn't me, even after all these years, it'll never be me." Rock said with anger in his eyes.

"I don't want you to be damn it!" Revy shouted back at him.

"Is that why you stopped me? Tell me the truth for once damn it!" Rock shouted back at her.

Revy wasn't sure how to answer that. She herself still was trying to figure it out. She thought about it on the ride back in the city and she kept coming up with two conclusions. One, she was losing her mind and two, she didn't want him to be that way.

"Because you didn't want to use a gun that. _I _didn't want you to use a gun that way." Revy admitted to him. Rock simply looked at her with a small amount of shock.

"You're a dumbass you know that? You can't read the fucking signs when a woman cares for you can you?" Revy smirked looking at him. He simply shook his head and sighed.

"You'll have to explain Revy. You're not exactly an easy woman to understand. Others are and usually they're women simply trying to get in the sack with me for whatever reason." Rock looked back at the ocean.

"If you're talking about Eda, she just wants a dick put in her snatch and her ass at the same time. And you're right, I'm not an easy woman to understand, never said I fucking was. But, that's because of my life. This shit isn't easy to explain for someone like me and I'm trying the best I fucking can." Revy explained.

"Then explain it, I got time. We got our money and then some." Rock said looking at his pack of cigarettes.

"Rock, I think it's pretty obvious. The night we spent together, the plane ride over, I mean, I don't know what I have to do to spell it out." Revy said.

"We were drunk the first time and the plane ride we were cold. I still don't know if you do care for me or not even if you've told me a million times now. I need to know for sure." Rock simply replied. Revy was getting angry again and grabbed him by the collar.

"Rock, I actually give a shit about what happens to you. I actually have fucking feelings for you. I've never felt that evil when killing someone, never felt that type of emotion because of one person. Fucking damn it!" Revy shouted before pressing her lips to his and shocking Rock's system before quickly pulling back.

"Is that enough?" Revy asked him. Rock simply nodded.

"Good, because I'm not sure I can say it any other way. I actually like you that way Rock. You're my fucking tie to the sane world, a person that actually makes me see the bright of things, even when I know they aren't there. You're the person that has me thinking that there is a life beyond this fucking shithole." Revy said letting go of his collar and palming his neck.

"Revy…." Rock simply replied.

"I just hope you return the same fucking emotions, otherwise I'll fucking go ballistic. And I know that I'm fucking crazy, that I'm a gun toting psychopath and probably there are better women out there than me and less baggage. But that's how I feel." Revy forced out looking at him. Rock simply starred at her for a minute, causing her to get upset again.

"What?!" she shouted at him.

Rock simply smiled.

"It's just that Revy, there's no other woman out there I would want to be with. You showed a side of life that is free. Fucked up, but free. But what you said, would you leave that life if it meant being with me?" Rock asked. Revy simply smiled and palmed his face with one hand.

"I would leave it in a heartbeat if it meant following you. Not having to kill anyone is a nice idea. But I'm not sure it would or will ever happen." Revy said.

"We can find a way. But for now, we need to get back and figure this out before we even can think about that." Rock reminded her.

"I know, but I don't want to leave this yet." Revy said looking out to the sea.

"We'll have time to talk later." Rock said grasping her hand and rubbing his thumb over it. Revy simply smiled and leaned in closer to him.

"You're a big fucking sappy Romeo wannabe, ya know that right?" She said.

"You chose to be with me, don't blame it on me." Rock replied back.

"Point taken." Revy retorted. Rock then looked down at his gun and then looked at her. She could tell that he was deep in thought.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Do you want this of me?" Rock asked her.

"Stop talking in riddles and just fucking say it." Revy ordered.

"You want me to keep this gun?" he asked her. Revy looked at him and then at the gun. She didn't think twice. She grabbed it and tossed it out into the water.

"That a good enough answer for ya?" she asked with a smirk. Rock simply nodded and held her closer to her.

"So what now?" he asked her.

"Let's get a nice hotel and get some sleep." Revy simply replied.

"Maybe we need to get you some new clothes. Yours are pretty worn after that." Rock said.

"Oh please, you'd rather see me without them and you know it." Revy smirked at him, causing him to blush slightly.

"Aww, does Rocky baby imagine me without my clothes?" Revy teased him.

"I'm not going to answer in fear of being shot to death." Rock answered back.

"I won't shoot you, and if it makes you feel better, I've had dreams about it too." Revy leaned in whispering into his ear.

'_Yep, she's fucking crazy.'_

"You're really a crazy temptress, you know that right?" Rock said to her.

"Only for you Rocky baby, only for you." Revy smirked at him.

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully I got it to where I wanted it. This manga / anime has me intrigued and I can see there's lines of redemption of character in it so hopefully I nailed that mix but kept it close to the characters as I could. Not sure if I'll make a sequel or add chapters to continue it. Only took me a week to write 33 pages but I'm not going to rush it. May have missed a few things, but hopefully you all enjoyed it.**


	2. Life in the Fast Lane

_Life in the Fast Lane_

* * *

Rock sat outside the changing room, waiting for Revy to try on another outfit that she would be satisfied with. After their revelations about each other, they had made it into the city of Miami again late in the day. But there were plenty of shops still open and Rock had managed to convince Revy to at least hide her bandages from the people as to not draw attention. Not to mention that a lot of guys were looking at her with lust in their eyes, this was generating a lot of anger in him. Revy subtly had noticed it and took it as a compliment from him and to be honest, she was actually glad that he felt that way. As much as she didn't like the idea of changing out of her shorts and tank top, it was a good idea to at least hide her wounds and she could always change back when they left the country. For now though, she was deciding what was best for her in terms of looks and function.

'_No, this is fucking trash too.' _She thought tossing aside another shirt that was piled with about twenty others.

She may be known as one of the most dangerous people in the world, but she was still a woman that liked style. She had already decided on the pair of pants to wear and was satisfied in that department, but she still was struggling to find a top to go with it. As much as she didn't like the idea of dealing with the heat of Miami, it was at least still reasonably cool and she could see herself in the top she had just put on. Looking at herself in the mirror, she took in the outfit as a whole and moved around to see if it bunched anywhere and if it was flexible, lest they get into trouble again. She decided it was the best she could do and she didn't look too bad either. She stepped out of the changing room to find Rock nodding off on the bench.

'_Jackass doesn't even stay awake to see what it looks like.'_ Revy growled cracking her hands.

"Hey! Wake up ya bastard!" Revy shouted and punched him in the shoulder, earning a loud groan from him.

"Damn it Revy, I'm sorry…." Rock rubbed his shoulder but was memorized by the sight before him. She stood in front of him with a black long sleeve top that had the arms rolled up to her forearms, hiding her bandages. She also had on cargo khaki pants rolled up to her knees so they wouldn't roll over her boots. She looked at him for a second and started to feel anger boil up in her face.

"What?!" she said placing her hands on her hips. Rock simply stood up, grasping her arms gently and smiled at her.

"You look amazing in that." Rock complimented her. His words caused all the anger to flush away and was replaced by some embarrassment and joy.

"Shut the hell up you dipshit." She whispered smiling back at him, leaning up to kiss his nose. "But thank you for the compliment."

"Anytime." Rock said smiling at her still.

"This sucks though, I can't where this top and a button down shirt over it. It'll be too fucking hot so I can't even hide my Cutlasses." Revy said inspecting the outfit again.

"Put them in the gym bag here. I'll carry it around with us at all times when were out in public. Hopefully we won't need them though." Rock replied as he sat back down and put Revy's shorts and top into it as well.

"Don't be doing anything crazy with my shorts there." Revy teased and warned him as she threw the rest of the clothes into the changing room. Rock didn't bother to say anything about that, he didn't feel like fighting.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Rock said standing up once he finished putting her things away. Revy took this opportunity to tease him some more.

"Oh, and what do you dream of then Rocky baby? Do you dream of my tight ass without them?" Revy smirked at him, hiding her emotions from her eyes. Rock's face flustered up, unsure of how to respond to that.

"I….I um….well…." Rock stuttered out looking at her at a loss. Revy simply laughed at him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Always the fucking gentleman, aren't you? Too shy or nervous to say it to my face yet like a man you dream about me. I wonder for how long?" she asked him, making him more nervous.

"I….I couldn't say…" he sputtered out. Revy simply shook her head.

"You'd better start getting more comfortable around me like this while we're sober. If it helps ease your overly-sensitive mind, I've had the same dreams for a while." She admitted quietly into his ear.

"You told me that though." Rock reminded her.

"Yeah, but I didn't tell you how long it's been happening, did I dipshit?" she said flicking his forehead. Rock chuckled and rubbed the spot she had flicked.

"You really are a smartass Revy." He said.

"Better a smartass than a dumbass Rocky. Now let's go pay for this shit and get to a hotel." She replied tugging him along to the register. Revy then let the cashier ring up the tags on the pants and top, planning to wear it out and letting Rock pay for the outfit. She be damned if she was going to pay for this when her man could pay for it.

"And to the happy couple, please enjoy the rest of your day." The cashier smiled at them as she handed them their change. Those words rang in Revy's head loudly as she still tried to wrap her mind around the idea of being a couple.

"Thank you very much." Rock nodded as he led Revy out the door, lest she get pissed at her for something. Making their way back to the GTO, the thoughts of that word were still running through Revy's mind as she tried to process what it meant for her. She couldn't say for sure what it meant to her, but she wouldn't back down from this. It was difficult, but for the first time in her life for as long as she could remember, she wanted to be happy and enjoy this. The pair got into the GTO, now with new tires that they fitted as soon as they got back into the city, and began to head down to the nicer part of Miami from their info packets to find a nice hotel to stay at for however long they needed. It wasn't like they were lacking in funds at the moment.

"Rock, what do you see us as?" Revy asked him as they drove down the city streets.

"What do you mean?" he asked in return.

"What that woman said to us just now, do you see us as a couple?" she asked him seriously, resting her feet on the dashboard. Rock found that answer hard to explain himself. He always had some kind of attachment to Revy he couldn't explain, and it wasn't as though he didn't find her attractive. As the years had passed by he found her to be the one person that he was closest with and that was now an even stronger bond.

"I won't say it's a couple kind of relationship, not yet. We have this attraction to each other Revy, one that I think can't be explained on every level but some areas it can be. Right now, we're taking it slow or rather I'm being patient for you because I think you want to take it slow." Rock answered.

"And what if I don't want to take it slow? What if I want to fuck your brains out as soon as we get to the hotel? Answer me that limp dick." Revy snorted at him. The idea of actually doing that with Revy sent a jolt of energy down Rock's spine and down to a certain part of him. Feeling the blood rush to his face and to that certain part at the same time, he calmed himself down to answer her.

"I may not know everything about your past Revy and I may never hear about it. Perhaps I don't want to know, but I understand that your past is what affects you the most and I understand that it's a road that's scary and not easy to fix or you can't shoot away." Rock said as he pulled into the parking lot of a twenty-five story building that hopefully had very clean rooms as advertised.

"And what the fuck makes you think you know me Rock? You think that you fucking know me that well that you can play therapist? Remember we've had this conversation before!" Revy growled at him leaning towards him.

"That's why I didn't want to answer the question Revy, because I knew you wouldn't like the answer I give. It's not the answer most people want to hear, but at least I speak the truth." Rock said getting out of the GTO and grabbing the bags from the back.

"Damn it Rock, don't fucking talk to me like a fucking child!" Revy shouted getting out of the car.

"I'm not Revy, but sometimes you have to listen to the truth you don't want to hear!" Rock retorted to her, not wanting to fight with her.

"What fucking truth?" Revy asked back, getting angry that she couldn't knock his lights out here. Rock sighed in response and looked at her.

"If you don't want to hear the truth, then we can get separate rooms tonight. I told you I was going to be patient with you. That's what I'm going to do now, I don't want to fight Revy, but you have to hear what I say at some point. When we get to the counter, I'll let you decide what you want." Rock stated walking towards the hotel, leaving Revy dumbfounded.

'_That fucker is playing fucking mind games with me! Son of a bitch thinks he can….damn it….that…..'_ Revy found herself stuttering in her own thoughts, unable to figure out what to say or do. Feeling defeated, she followed Rock into the lobby and up to the counter. She made her choice before the clerk even asked the question.

"Couple's suite, top floor. How much?" Revy asked him, surprising Rock and the clerk slightly.

"It's….eight hundred a night, including room service as well." The clerk replied. Revy pulled out around twenty four hundred dollars in cash and handed it to the clerk.

"That'll buy us three days. Don't ask any questions about, just take it and give us our key." Revy said with a smile. The clerk stared for a moment, but simply nodded as he took the money and grabbed their room key. Revy signed the paper work under a false name, without so much as an ID check. Money always talks no matter when or where.

"Thank you very much. Come on baby." Revy gave him a smiling glare, grabbing the key and his hand a leading him over to the elevator.

"Revy, what are you doing?" Rock stammered as she dragged him into the elevator.

"What you wanted Rock. You want to tell me the truth like you fucking want, then tell me." Revy said with conviction. Rock looked into Revy's eyes and saw that she was serious. Unable to deter her from her actions, he let her lead him as the elevator quickly reached the top and she pulled him to their suite down the hall. Opening and closing the door she grabbed the bags he was carrying and threw them across the room, not caring where they landed and shoved him on the bed. Crossing her arms she began to tap her foot.

"Alright asswipe, tell me right here and right now what truth I fucking need to hear so that we can move past this shit." She demanded. Rock looked up at her with a stern look.

"No." he replied. Revy grabbed his collar and yanked him up.

"What the fuck did you say?" she asked.

"I said 'no' Revy. I'm not going to say anything until you calm down." Rock replied, not even the least bit scared.

"You'd better say something quick bud, because my patience is fucking thin with you." Revy warned him.

"When the hell isn't it thin with me? Or anyone else for that matter? You never have any fucking patience for anyone, don't want to listen anyone, you just ignore it because you don't want to hear it because it might be too painful or don't want see that all the truths you've told yourself aren't true and that there is a light somewhere in all of this." Rock looked at her with that same stern look.

"Bullshit." Revy said releasing him and cracking her hands. Rock simply scoffed at the action.

"Is that your answer to everything? Violence? Even against the people you care for? You wouldn't hurt me, not if it meant me leaving you." Rock said looking back at her.

"You don't think for two seconds I wouldn't knock you out?" Revy smirked at him.

"Do it and see what happens afterward." Rock said defiantly, shocking Revy at his actions.

"What?" she looked at him with a dumbfounded look.

"We've been down this road before, only you were holding a gun to my head. So go ahead, knock me out and we'll see what tomorrow brings. Or you can calm the fuck down and for once in your life listen to what someone has to say!" Rock shouted at her. She looked at him, her hands shaking in anger….and fear. He never had been like this when he first met her, but the last couple of years had changed him. Not completely, but they had hardened him. Revy decided that for once, just once, she would listen to what he had to say.

"Alright, spill it then. What truth do you believe in?" she asked, hiding her emotions from him and sitting on the bed next him. Rock breathed a mental sigh of relief.

"Like I said, you wouldn't like the answer I would give you because you don't like to hear something other than what you believe in. You never have Revy and I don't blame you. And like I said, I don't know everything about your childhood, nor should I, nor should I want to. Only you have that right to tell me what it was like. I wouldn't care for you any less. But you live life on the reckless edge and have this bleak look on life that I know you shouldn't have. No one should have that, but they should know the truth about people in this world we live in." Rock said lying back on the bed, Revy starring down at him as he continued, feeling his words play a broken string in her heart.

"We know the truth about people unlike others and we live our lives with more freedom. But it doesn't mean we aren't human and don't have emotions, no matter how much we try to bury them. And whether you admit it or not, you have those emotions. You aren't a cold, calculating killer like you make yourself out to be. The twins, _they _were those things. _They _were monsters, not human looking at them. And even then, I saw hope until the last possible second, but knew that they were beyond help. You aren't though Revy, I can see it. I'm not going to change the fact that you're a gun-toting woman, that's what's kept you alive and most people that you've killed probably had it coming and were shooting at us. You defended yourself, and also used it as an outlet because you don't want to feel those emotions." Rock explained. Revy's hands started shaking from his words.

"It's my fault that those emotions rose up from you, but I like to think that maybe it's a good thing and that you can feel something other than bleak hatred and heal your heart. You're so opposite of what you are and you get so mad sometimes for no reason. But I see happiness in your eyes, that's what I hope. That is why I stay in the twilight that you said I shouldn't be a part of." Rock explained closing his eyes.

'_Bastard, that fucking Japanese bastard. He's so fucking smart, he's so full of shit, he's so egotistical in what he says. And everything he just said is the fucking truth. Damn him, damn him!' _Revy thought loudly as she stood up from the bed and looked at him.

"Sometimes, I really fucking hate you Rock." She said making her way to the bathroom to wash away the filth she felt.

"I know Revy. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that I had to say that." Rock said sitting up and looking at her. Their eyes made brief contact before she turned around.

"Shut up." She whispered loudly over shoulder before she entered the bathroom and closed the door. Rock sighed quietly and fell back to the bed.

'_How in the hell am I ever going to live with this woman?' _

The sound of running water could be heard through the door to his ears, Rock decided to let her have her peace for the night and let her make the first move next. It was like a chess game to him, she made the first move, then he made the next, then her and so on and so on. Hopefully it would one day make her heart whole again and she would feel more than what she felt now. Revy however felt one emotion that she hadn't felt in years. As the hot water ran over her body, she felt it pierce her wounds and scold them, almost as if each one was screaming in agony over what she was feeling now.

'_He's the only one who understands me. Damn it! Now what do I do? I can't wrestle this feeling for him away and I still want to be the person I was before. How in the hell do I manage both sides of this shit storm?!' _she thought as she gently washed the wounds to keep infection out. It hurt like hell, but it didn't feel like anything she could feel in her heart.

'_How can he say that after all we've been through? How can he still find some ray of hope is this fucking world when he's seen firsthand what it has to offer?' _Revy then began to remember what she had said just moments before Yukio had committed suicide.

'_**Don't look at her Rock!'**_

The words weren't exact but she remembered them something vaguely like that. She didn't understand why she had said it, it had just forced its way out.

'_Now I understand why I said it. I said it to protect him, so he wouldn't have to see it, so that he wouldn't fall further into his twilight as he calls it. That bastard has changed me without me even realizing it. There's no going back from this, but now I have to find a way to cope with my past and get all these fucking emotions in check.'_

Again, for the first time in years, she felt true happiness and tears fall from her eyes.

'_Rock….'_ She gently thought, turning the shower off and drying her body before wrapping her wounds in new bandages. She looked at herself in the mirror and could only smirk back.

"The legendary Revy Two-Hands, swooned by a Japanese businessman. Who would have thought it? Fuck me." She whispered putting on her night top and a pair of her grey panties, opening the door to find that Rock had changed into a simple t-shirt and sweat pants. She could only scoff in amusement as he lay there half asleep.

"Rock, you awake?" she asked him sitting on the bed.

"No, just resting." Rock replied shaking his head and opening his eyes to see her. "Already bored of the outfit?" he joked, too tired to be flushed in the face or to make a better comment.

"Like I'm going to ruin those clothes by sleeping them." Revy smirked looking at him. "Sit up."

"Alright." Rock groaned and sat up straight to look at her.

"What you said to me, it cut deep, you know that right?" she asked him. He simply nodded.

"Then I guess you do understand me on some level that I never thought anyone could. You, of all people make me feel like you do, that there's some hope in others. I don't want you to leave that twilight you fucking go on about." She admitted to him, wishing that she had a couple of shots of Bacardi to make this easier.

"Revy, I know. You don't have to say anymore." He told her, smiling at her to get her to stop, for her sake.

"I'll say what the fuck ever I want to say. I'm trying to tell you that you're right about some things, and as much as I want to admit them or don't want to admit them, they aren't easy for me to say. Tearing down a wall is hard to do when you live the life I have. Right now though, it's just us and I can break down those walls for you and no one else." She told him, straddling his waist and wrapping her arms around his neck causing him to wake up quickly, but able to hold his ground.

"Revy…"

"Rock, you won't ever leave me will you?" she asked him, playing with his hair. Rock shook his head and smiled.

"Only if I get killed, and even then, I would never leave you." He assured her wrapping his arms around her waist. Revy smiled back and him and kissed him deeply. Pulling away, she had fire in her eyes.

"Don't joke about that shit you dumbass." Revy demanded from him.

"Sorry." He said quietly. Revy looked at him and cupped his face.

"Rock, I want you, tonight." Revy said in sultry voice. Rock looked at her in mild shock.

"Revy, you don't have to…." Rock said to her.

"Shut up, I know what I want. I want you to fuck me senseless, to make love to me, to make me feel like I've never felt before." She demanded of him. Rock looked at her and kissed her deeply. She moaned into the kiss and grasped his back, digging her nails into it. They broke apart momentarily to look at each other.

"Are you sure?" he asked her one more time. Revy smirked and lifted her top up and over her head, leaving her chest exposed to him.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked him with a seductive smirk. Rock simply gazed at her and dumbly nodded.

"Good, now come and give me what I want." Revy said, mashing her lips to his as they began their heated night.

* * *

"Well Balalaika, so what do you have to help us out with this?" Dutch said over the phone.

"As I said, I'm sorry that this happened. Obviously there are dangers to this business, but I pride myself on making sure that we are secure and not compromised. At the least, we'll be able to get you all back into the city within a day or two. As a bonus, I'll let you keep the money you all found and I'll still pay you the original fee." Balalaika replied over the phone.

"That sounds like a deal. But the question is that are we safe? Apparently from what Revy said, or at least as I understand her, someone hired these people to infiltrate your organization and then give you the false job that sent us to our deaths, at least that was the plan. So that means we're still in danger and I can already guess you aren't going to give us any jobs until it's resolved." Dutch answered back.

"Sadly yes, but we'll put some resources to trying to find this person. When Revy calls you back, I need you to give me a call as well. Hopefully we'll have some information or leads to get this situation fixed." Balalaika said.

"Right, well for now, they'll hopefully be safe in Miami, but I told them to keep their guard up." Dutch replied.

"Of course. Take care of yourself Dutch." Balalaika said before handing up the phone. Dutch hung up his receiver and almost threw the phone out the hotel window.

"Bullshit." Dutch said taking a drink of beer and crushing the can in response.

"Bad news I take it." Benny said putting down his magazine.

"She says she'll look into it, but probably more for her own sake that ours. Sucks for us though, no jobs, no more cash that what we have. Pretty much fucked until this situation gets sorted out." Dutch replied take a seat across from Benny.

"At least we hot the hundred k in the briefcase and another two hundred to follow. At least we'll be paid handsomely for doing this." Benny reminded him.

"Still bullshit though. We've got our team separated from each other doing who knows what and we've got someone trying to kill us." Dutch groaned crossing his arms.

"Well, nothing we can do about it now. Only other question I can ask is do you want to stay in this country since you hate it so much, or do you want to work some connections and get the hell out of Dodge?" Benny asked him.

"We get the fuck out as soon as we can. But I have to wait until Revy or Rock call me tomorrow so for now, we're staying the night." Dutch replied, not looking forward to staying the night in this city. Benny knew better than to push the issue. He remembered a lot of what Dutch had once told him and what the nameless U.S. soldier had told him. He didn't particular care so long as he protected him and earned him a living.

"So what do you think the Dynamic Duo are up to in Miami….besides smashing up my car." Benny groaned out. Dutch simply chuckled.

"Hopefully they aren't getting wasted drunk when I told Revy to keep her eyes peeled. But I wouldn't put it past the pair. They could be enjoying the sites and sound of Miami nightlife, again, hopefully sober. They could be enjoying each other's company." Dutch couldn't finish the last sentence without laughing.

"What's so funny about that? Remember our bet." Benny reminded him.

"I know, but it's funny what their version of 'company' is and what that could lead to." Dutch leaned back in his chair.

"Maybe they're screwing each other right now." Benny laughed loudly at the thought.

"I kind of hope they don't, God knows that the sexual tension between those, they'll never stop going at it." Dutch joined in the laughter.

"We could always up the bet, we got the money." Benny reminded him.

"Nah, I'd rather them hash out their differences and get along in whatever way. Hopefully Rock can get Revy to calm down, it'd make doing jobs a lot easier if she was calm and collected." Dutch explained.

"You do realize what you just said right?" Benny said to him with a deadpan look.

"Yes, and I know the other outcome is that if Rock's in danger, she might go even crazier. But I think Rock can simmer her down so she doesn't go crazy on jobs. Other people though, that's a different story." Dutch said grabbing a smoke from his pack.

"Contradicting theory if I've ever heard one." Benny said drinking some Bacardi 151.

"Well, when it comes to Revy, there's no real theory that can explain her. Her crazy combined with Rock's patience, a recipe for disaster or success. My theory, she'll retain some of the crazy but will be more calm in the city if Rock's doing something to help. What's you theory then Benny Boy?" Dutch asked his mechanic.

"I don't have a theory. She's crazy in her way, he's crazy in his way. She's crazy in the loud way and he's crazy in his planning and patience. Name me another woman that is gun toting like her and name me another man that basically insulted Balalaika and survived, better yet, someone that she respects on that level." Benny replied.

"More of a factual person huh?" Dutch said with a smile.

"Yep, anything involving a theory to me can't be good because that's all it is, a theory, a guess. You have your theory but if you don't have facts then it's just that, a guess. It's when you have those facts that you have your conclusion. So my conclusion is that they're both crazy in their own way, have sexual tension between each other, and are opposites of each other that attract each other." Benny said.

"Sounds like you're giving the college lecture now." Dutch continued to smile.

"I did go to college in Florida until I had to drop out of course. But that's something that I learned early on in school. Theories are only guesses without facts, that's what I believe anyways." Benny shrugged and went to the bed and collapsed on it to rest.

"Alright, then I know for a fact the same things you know are what I know as well. Let's just agree they need to get it together and hopefully they get back in one piece." Dutch replied looking out into the city lights, the Eiffel Tower shining in the distance.

"I really hate this place." Dutch took a drag of his smoke.

"Yep, I know you do." Benny replied turning over and fell asleep.

* * *

Rock and Revy lay in their bed in a mess of bed sheets and sweat. Revy was snuggling next to him, resting her arm against his chest and leaning her head against his shoulder with a smile on her face, a smile adorning Rock's face as well.

"When you want something, you really want something don't you Revy?" Rock teased her while gently stroking her hip.

"You're damn right I do, and it's by far the best I've ever had." Revy smiled at him, leaning up on her elbow.

"Best you've ever had? You're gonna make my ego shoot through the roof." He joked looking back at her.

"I think you should let it go to your head, you have some moves that I didn't know you had in you. You made me feel like I never have before." Revy admitted tracing lines on his chest.

"So did you Revy, the things that you did, I never thought possible." Rock looked at her and blushed slightly.

"Well your mouth did me a great service, figured I should do the same with mine. By the way, first time ever doing that with _anyone_. That is meant only for you, no one else before or after." Revy said still smiling and resting on his chest.

"You're gonna make me go for a second round." Rock admitted, feeling himself get aroused. Revy smirked at him and looked at him with lust in her eyes.

"I'm game if you are." She said in a seductive voice. Rock breathed deep to keep himself collected.

"Give me some time, I think I need a few minutes before we go again, to make sure that it's good for us both." Rock told her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

"Always the gentleman, you fucking sap, you lovable fucking sap." She sighed falling into his grasp. In all honestly though, she had never felt that way in her life. He made her feel like someone worth keeping, giving her a thing in life that she rarely had…happiness. For all the insults that she would barge at him, she cared for him deeply, admitting it to herself again.

'_It's getting easier to say that to myself, hopefully it'll be easier to say to him one day.'_

"Rock?" she whispered turning to him.

Rock looked at her with a questioning gaze.

"What did you feel during that amazing, blissful moment?" she whispered into the crook of his neck.

"I felt like everything in my life before was pointless compared to that moment. You made me feel complete Revy, there's nothing I can say other than you made me feel complete, like no one else can or will." Rock said truthfully.

"I was expecting you to say a lot more for a Romeo like yourself." Revy laughed quietly.

"How did you feel?" Rock asked her. Revy wasn't sure how to answer that, these types of answers never came easy to her.

"I already said it was amazing and blissful didn't I?" Revy answered.

"Was that all?" Rock simply asked. Revy simply sighed and smiled at him.

"I felt….happy, so very happy. It's not much, but it's what I can say." Revy admitted to him.

"I'm glad you felt like that. I know it's not easy to say things like that for you." Rock told her, stroking her hair.

"Shut up, you're ruining the moment." Revy said looking up at him. Rock smirked at her before leaning down to kiss her deeply.

"Did I save it?" he asked her in a teasing voice.

"I swear to God, you're so fucking cheesy." Revy laughed quietly before kissing him back. "But you did save it there."

"Good, now how about a shower?" Rock suggested with a grin.

"I should say no since I just took one, but with you, I don't think you're suggesting the conventional are you?" she asked throwing the covers away to expose their naked forms. She led him into the bathroom which she admired now that she was calm and collected. A nice sized shower and hot tub that they needed to take advantage of at some point. For now, she turned the water on and let the water warm up and filled the tub that was adjacent from the shower, which was also a nice size.

"So no shower?" Rock sarcastically said.

"No Rocky baby, I think this is more relaxing for us both." Revy smiled.

She let him remove her bandages gently and led him into the tub. Letting the water envelop both their bodies, Rock grabbed the scented soap and lathered it up and began to wash her body, paying special attention to her wounds and being careful around them. He looked at them and felt some guilt that maybe he was the cause them. Revy saw the look in his eyes as she felt his hands gently wash her, she saw that his eyes went to her wounds over and over again.

"It's not your fault Rocky baby." Revy assured him, grasping his face and smiling at him.

"I know, but I still feel guilty." Rock said looking back her, both ignoring the water slushing around them.

"Don't, it doesn't suit you. I know what I did and I'm happy that you care for me like the sappy bastard you are. Now, keep washing me, I was enjoying it." Revy demanded of him, smirking in a suggestive way. Revy turned around to let him wash her back which Rock began to do with pleasure. He massaged her back and shoulders trying to get the knots out of her shoulders. She moaned in appreciated at the touch of him and leaned into his hands. Rock worked his way lower down to her waist and massaged down there before getting a little brave. Closing the gap between them, he grasped her backside and pulled her into his lap, earning a surprised gasp. Revy looked over her shoulder and smirked at him.

"Getting frisky a lot quicker this time eh Rocky baby?" Revy seductively, the lust returning to her eyes.

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked smirking at her. Revy didn't answer him but instead whipped around and lip locked him deeply, wrapping her legs around him, Rock instinctively grasping it and holding it possessively. Revy began to gyrate her hips, trying to get him and herself going again.

"Come Rocky baby, get excited, make me feel good again, rock my world." Revy said in between kisses and gasps. Rock didn't deny her; he made sure to do just that.

* * *

"So we're stuck here until Balalaika can get another plane over here. Great, so what do we do about this guy trying to kill us? He or she could be anywhere while we're sitting here like fish in a fucking barrel." Revy said over the phone.

"Yeah, we're in no better position either Two Hands. But since we can, we're going to get out of the country and at least try to get to Germany or something." Dutch answered back.

"And what the fuck are we supposed to do? Stay in Miami, travel up the East coast? If anyone else comes after us they'll know what car we're driving. Like I said Dutch, we're sitting ducks here. If this country wasn't so fucking afraid of guns, I would have said we're dead." Revy groaned quietly at the info.

"Balalaika said to leave the GTO at the air field in a private hanger and she'll pick it up for us and take it back to the city. Keep the fake license plates though, you might have to find another car." Dutch replied.

"Great, so what plan do you have? Stay in Miami or head out of state and stay on the move until we can get a ride back?" Revy asked him.

"I'd get out of state, keep moving, but you know not to head anywhere close to New York. Don't go any farther north than Maryland. Hell, drive to California if it'll keep you out of trouble. But stay vigilant Revy, we have no idea who's after us and Balalaika may not be able to figure out who it is for who knows how long." Dutch answered.

"Yeah, pretty much a fucked up situation then. Well then, I don't usually say this type of shit, but hopefully, I see you and Benny again." Revy said quietly, hearing Dutch laughed over the phone.

"You have Rock. But don't say things like that, friendship is the one virtual we have in this world, no matter how fucked up that world is. We'll see each other again soon enough and get more jobs to do." Dutch assured her. Revy didn't answer back right away.

"Right Dutch. Next phone call at noon tomorrow?" Revy asked him.

"Yep, make sure that you call. If you don't, then I have to assume the worst." Dutch reminded her.

"Gotcha, I'll be in touch soon." Revy said before turning to Rock and motioning him over. "Here Dutch, speak to Rock, I'm sure you'll want to hear his voice."

"Yeah, put the man on. Might get a more positive attitude than from you." Dutch chuckled.

"Real funny Dutch!" Revy shouted into the receiver before handing the phone to Rock. He took it with a nervous laugh and put it to his ear.

"You say something to piss her off I assume?" Rock asked.

"Ah you can handle it Rock. How you holding up otherwise?" Dutch asked his best numbers guy.

"Considering being shot at, having a complete bullshit trap set and having a hit set out on us, not too bad." Rock sarcastically replied over the line.

"Don't get an attitude Rock, we know it's a fuck up situation. Hopefully it'll all be resolved by the time you get back." Dutch replied.

"If we get back Dutch. I'm not so sure we'll be able to live this life much longer if this is what we have to deal with." Rock said lowly over the phone.

"You'd better get a more positive attitude that if you want to live." Dutch suggested in an ordering tone.

"I'm trying Dutch, but something's changed." Rock said over the phone.

"What the hell you mean by that?" Dutch asked. Rock looked over at Revy who was sitting on the hood of the car.

"It's nothing. I think the stress is getting to me right now." Rock lied to cover himself.

"I'll buy that for now, but don't go getting yourself killed because you can't handle some stress. You've stared down Balalaika and survived, you can handle this. Seriously, not for my sake, but for Revy's." Dutch said over the line.

'_Did he…'_

"I don't think Revy would miss me Dutch." Rock lied, who then saw Revy look over his way with a glare. He shook his head and mouth to tell her that he was lying.

"It's none of my business nor do I give a damn, but she does care for you believe it or not. I don't need Revy shooting up everyone in the U.S. because you died." Dutch reminded him.

"Got it Dutch. We'll be in touch soon." Rock said before hanging up the phone. Dutch simply chuckled and looked over at Benny.

"What's got you laughing?" Benny asked him.

"I think I won our bet. I can tell by the way Rock's talking something major happened. I won't say for sure but that's the sound of a man hiding something. Best case, the two finally hit it off. Worst case, he set this up and I kill him." Dutch explained.

"And I'm guessing you're going with the hookup. Shit, I'm not paying yet, I want confirmation." Benny smiled.

"We'll see." Dutch said taking a seat.

_Meanwhile back in Miami…_

"Well, Dutch wants us to keep moving or at least suggested it. Probably the best plan for us." Rock said as walked over to Revy and stood in front of her.

"Only problem, we got to get new transportation. The GTO has to stay behind if we get going and from the sounds of Dutch, it wasn't a suggestion, it was an order and he's right. It's the best course of action." Revy replied taking a small drink of Bacardi.

"You're right. Question is though what mode of transportation?" Rock questioned.

"You're the smart one Rock, what do you think genius?" Revy looked at him calmly. Rock crossed his arms and looked upward in thought.

"Train is too stationary and if they follow us there, it'll be a gun fight in crowded corridors. Flying is a little less dangerous but the same problem could commence if they follow us on the plane. We could always buy a car and travel cross country in it." Rock pondered ideas.

"If we fly then we could get to the west coast much quicker, but a direct route is too risky with that many fucking people around us. Ordinarily I wouldn't give two shits about civilian casualties, but I'm willing to bet you'd get your panties in a wad over it." Revy joked at his expense.

"Guess I won't be giving you any action tonight." Rock threatened her with a smirk.

"Oh please, I lived without fucking for years, I couldn't care less." Revy lied convincingly.

'_That bastard better not hold out.'_

"Right, well, I saw a few cars that were for sale at a decent price to buy. There was a 1986 Chevy Camaro IROC-Z model, an older 1968 Camaro for sale, a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, a '70 Chevy Chevelle SS, a Plymouth Cuda…." Rock started naming cars of the top of his head he had seen yesterday while passing a dealership.

"Woah, hold on, first off, when the fuck did you become such a car guy? And second, what the fuck is a Plymouth Cuda?" Revy asked him.

"Well, I didn't think it would hurt to have a second car available to us that would help and I kind of want a car of my own. As for the Plymouth Cuda, it's an underrated muscle car." Rock chuckled sheepishly.

"Jesus Christ, you never cease to amaze me you bastard." Revy laughed loudly.

"Come on Revy…." Rock groaned.

"Aw quit your bitching, I was joking with you. Anyway, what do you think we should go after?" Revy asked him.

"Probably the 1986 Camaro. It's an improvement over the older cars I mentioned. It handles better and it looks much different than the GTO so if they are coming after us so it'll be a better disguise. And to further hide us from sight, if we can get Balalaika to pick up the Camaro and send it to Los Angeles, we can get a flight so it'll be harder to track us." Rock suggested. Revy didn't answer him right away and just looked at him with a blank stare, before sighing quietly.

"Fuck it, it's better than anything I can come up with. Let's do it." Revy jumped off the hood of the GTO and began to walk to the hotel lobby.

"Where are you going Revy? All our stuff is here." Rock shouted after her.

"To get the rest of money back, you really think I'll let these fuckers keep two nights worth that we never used? Don't worry, I won't shoot anyone." Revy promised him. Rock began to grow nervous and simply got into the GTO and started it up, ready to get a quick getaway. Revy arrived and got into the passenger seat, money in hand.

"What did you say to him?" Rock asked, knowing full well she probably threatened him in some way.

"Aw come on Rocky, you don't think I can't ask someone nicely for my money back?" Revy joked. Rock simply looked at her in an accusing manner.

"Alright, I told him if he didn't want to be in a coma for three weeks and broken legs that he would give me my money back." Revy admitted. Rock sighed quietly and shifted it into gear quickly before any cops showed up.

"You really need to work on your people skills." Rock suggested.

"My people skills are just fine so fucking drop it." Revy glared back. Rock simply looked ahead and headed for the dealership.

"When we get the car, make the phone call and see if Dutch can't get Balalaika to send the plane." Rock reminded her.

"And where the fuck does his royal highness want the plane to land at?" Revy replied planting her feet on the dashboard.

"Washington, D.C." Rock answered. Revy sputtered at his response.

"Are you fucking crazy, stupid or both?! The last place we want to be doing suspicious shit is the capital of the United States!" Revy shouted at him.

"That's why it's perfect cover. Ask yourself, would anyone that is trying to get away from hitmen go to a part of the country that is the most secure? No, they would expect you to go somewhere where it isn't secure in our line of work. So using the opposite would be a perfect cover." Rock explained.

"Did you forget that if anyone gets wind of me being there that I'm not safe?! Rock, you're putting me in fucked up situation!" Revy growled at him.

"We go no higher than Virginia, we won't go into D.C., just on the outskirts." Rock tried to resolve the situation.

"You're still putting me in one hell of a situation!" Revy still showed her anger.

"I don't know what else to tell you Revy! I'm coming up with the best plan I can in this situation! We're a long way from home with no immediate resources; no backup plans and a really fucked situation where no one seemed to figure out there were traitors in the whole operation from Moscow down possibly Lagoon! You'll have to forgive me if I'm finding hard to trust anyone at this moment, in fact the only person I trust right now is the one that's sitting in your seat! I need that same trust back from you!" Rock shouted at her as he turned into a parking lot and stopped.

"You're saying that Dutch betrayed us Rock? You'd better rethink that real fucking quick." Revy growled in a low tone.

"I'm not naming names Revy, I'm not saying for certain who did what but I know this, right now the only people we can rely on over here right now are the two of us! You've told me a million times to try and change with the city but I'm calling bullshit on that right now. That's the reason why I never let go of my morals because they are what keep me from succumbing to the city, why I stay in the twilight, why I won't change for you because I know I'm the one person that gives you a ray of hope. Now if you can't trust me, then I can't fucking trust you. So I'm asking you right now Revy, do you trust me or not? Because if you don't, you may as well shoot me right now and save us a lot of trouble." Rock looked at her with an intense look in his eyes that almost shook her to the core.

'_I've never seen him this focused, this intense…and he's right, he's the only I can trust right now.'_

"I trust you Rock, just don't….don't shout at me. I don't fucking like it." Revy replied quietly. Rock felt his anger sooth down and he began to feel some guilt for shouting at her, she didn't deserve it. The old Revy would have shouted back at him there, but the old Revy was changing slightly, for him.

"Come here." Rock scooted over next to her and pulled her into an embrace, one that she returned instantly. "I'm sorry, we're both on edge."

"Yeah, we fucking are aren't we? Never thought a limp dick like you would ever shout at me like that." Revy mumbled against him.

"I would miss you, even if you're a complete fucking idiot." Revy whispered.

Rock smiled.

"Let's go ahead and get this car. If we can get Balalaika to send that plane, then we might be able to trust people again." Rock scooted back over and shifted the car back into gear. Revy looked out the window, doing her best to hide the smile and the single tear falling from her eye.

'_Fucking prick always knows what to say…..'_

* * *

"Boris, do you have the progress reports I asked for?" Balalaika asked over the phone to her second in command.

"Yes ma'am. They should be arriving at your door in five minutes. Right now, the short end of the report is that we have a lead on where the benefactor may be located. Right now, we're showing that it's somewhere in the western part of the United States." Boris replied.

"Good, I can relay this info to Dutch and Two-Hands. Was there a general location that the lead was aiming at?" she asked back.

"There wasn't a specific location but signs were pointing to somewhere in northern California. However, the leads are set in stone so we're trying to locate more info on the matter." Boris replied.

"Very well, check back in with me in four hours. The report has arrived so I'll be up to speed on everything." Balalaika replied.

"Yes ma'am!" Boris answered before hanging up his line. Balalaika grabbed the file and opened it and began to thumb into the pages.

'_Alright, so let's see 'suspicious activity in north west and north south of United States….' _

She flipped through another page.

'_Transaction of firearms through Texas to Oklahoma to Colorado, trail falls off….' _

Another page flipped.

'_Large shipment of product shipped out to Los Angeles.'_

Balalaika read over the files and started to put to together where the leads would take her.

"Looks like Boris was right, however, we need to find more concrete info on this." She said to herself and looked over to the world map on her wall while lighting up a cigarette.

"I think I need to take a trip overseas, and bring Dutch and Benny with me." She said reaching for the phone and dialing it. Twenty seconds later, someone picked it up.

"Who is it?" Dutch answered it calmly.

"It's me Dutch, I have some news for you." Balalaika replied over the phone.

"Well then, lay it on me, what shithole are we now?" He asked.

"One that is located somewhere along the coast of California I believe. I've been able to come into some info that may lead us to this bastard. From what I've read, there's been an unusually high amount of transactions going on in the United States the last six months and it's not been recorded by any of us, which is why the leads are in this direction. Right now, I'm pissed at myself for letting this happened in the first place, I intend to take care of this man myself." She said over the phone.

"Where does this leave my crew?" Dutch asked her.

"I'm traveling to America in a few days once I have everything. I'm going to pick you and Benny up from Germany, and we're going to let Two-Hands and Rock know." Balalaika explained.

"Nice, good plan except that Revy will go trying to kill the guy at the first sign of where he is. We got to hope Rock can talk some sense into her and keep her under control. He said something had changed, and I have a faint idea of what it is." Dutch explained.

"Do tell." She answered.

"I think he may have finally gotten to Revy's heart and mind. I'm not certain, but hearing her over the phone, she seems calmer." Dutch replied.

"I can't have her going sentimental on me in this situation Dutch." She retorted.

"I think she'll be able to kill, but I think she'll also be more patient than she was before." Dutch said.

"I hope so, she's too valuable to our operations to lose her edge." Balalaika answered.

"If anything, I think she'll have her edge and then some." Dutch replied happily.

"We'll see. Where are you now?" she asked.

"Halfway through Belgium, stopped for the night." Dutch answered.

"I want you to head out in a few hours and head to Berlin. There's an airfield outside of the city where I'll retrieve you. After that, we're heading straight for the U.S. God the idea of going there makes me sick." Balalaika sighed in annoyance.

"You sound like me with France." Dutch chuckled over the phone.

"You have no idea." She replied.

"I guess we'll head out in about three hours. Will the plane be there when we arrive?" Dutch asked.

"Yes, you know I never shirk in time." She responded before pursing her lips in thought.

"You're somewhat a philosophical person right Dutch?" Balalaika asked.

"You could say that." Dutch simply answered.

"Then let me tell you a story about two people and a bond. I remember hearing this as a young child and it explains a certain duo if you ask me." Balalaika explained.

"This will be good." Dutch smiled over the phone.

"Anyways, these two lived separate lives growing up, both tragic in a way. One lived a life of hell, one a life of following orders. Both tragic and both hell if you ask me. Well these two people meet and of course neither like each other then as they grew to know each other, they began to understand each other better with one beginning to see a brighter side of things, the other starting to grow darker. It became a balancing act and eventually one died in an accident and the other lost their mind. It turned out they emotionally cared for each other on a deep level and it resulted in the other becoming a depressed wreck."

"And what happened to that person that became a depressed wreck?" Dutch asked, not really interested in the outcome.

"They simply gave up on living, they couldn't go on anymore. Put a bullet right between the eyes and ended it." Balalaika said exhaling a large amount of smoke.

"Did you make that story up because it sounds like Rock and Revy, or did someone really tell you that?" Dutch asked.

"What do you think?" she asked in curiosity.

"I don't try to think about it, I just know those two together are either what's best for them, or it will be a complete fucking disaster. I don't care a damn as long as it doesn't affect what goes down." Dutch replied looking at the clock that read 4:37 am.

"I see, well, I guess we'll find out once we see them in a few days." Balalaika returned.

"Gotcha, we'll be in close to Berlin by afternoon." Dutch replied.

"See you then." Balalaika said hanging up the phone and taking another drag of her cigarette.

"Such a fucking pain in the ass this business…" she sighed to herself.

* * *

After they had purchased the IROC Camaro for around fifteen thousand dollars, Rock and Revy had dropped the GTO off and then pulled into a gas station where Rock was currently talking to Dutch over another payphone while Revy filled the car up and grabbed some things for the road. The price wasn't too bad for the car and Revy did like the choice of car and color. So now the dark blue Camaro sat with a full tank of gas and an impatient Revy while Rock was hearing the details of what Dutch had learned.

"So California is where this fucker is." Rock said over the phone.

"Yep, which is why I'm glad you called. So now that we have an idea, I guess Balalaika wants to take this personally. So hold up on going to the west coast until we get there. We'll be arriving there in a few days with some backup hopefully." Dutch explained.

"_She_ wants to take care of him? Fuck no, that son of a bitch is _mine_." Rock growled over the phone.

"Easy Rock, we all want to get him. But we all need to remain calm and collected before we do anything rash." Dutch reminded him.

"You're right, hopefully we can get this bastard quick and figure out what the hell we'll do afterward." Rock replied.

"Get more jobs, get paid and go about our lives." Dutch answered in short.

"Yeah, go about our lives. Alright, you want us to stay in Norfolk, Virginia until you arrive?" Rock asked.

"That's the plan, so lay low and give us a call in twenty four hours. We'll have a sat phone on the plane so we can reach you and vice versa. Amazing what technology can do for people." Dutch chuckled.

"You don't have to tell me twice. I got it though, I'll let Revy know." Rock replied.

"Good, remember, twenty four hours, you call and stay low. We'll probably be there in three days at the max, so just keep Revy in check." Dutch reminded him again.

"Will do, see you soon Dutch." Rock replied before hanging up the phone. Rock sighed and pinched the bridge of his close walking over to Revy who had gotten what they needed, he hoped, and was standing next to the car.

"What's got you in such a fucked up mood?" Revy asked with a smile.

"Just having to call back and forth and waiting to get this asshole." Rock looked up at her with a smile replacing it.

"Yeah, no fucking shit it sucks. But hey, at least we get to drive again." Revy replied. Just then a group of men were yelling cat calls over to the pair.

"Hey babe! Leave that loser behind and come party with some real men!" one of the three shouted with a grin. Revy sighed, ready to fight someone right now.

"Yeah, come on sexy! That man isn't worthy of you!" another one of them shouted. Revy started to growl lowly.

"It's not worth it Revy, let them be." Rock said, feeling his own anger want to rise up and fight them.

"Nah, I got this baby. I won't fucking kill them, but they're going to feel a lot of pain in the morning." Revy smirked and walked over to the group of men.

"That's right; you got some sense in you after all." The main member of the group smiled in triumph.

Revy in turn got that violent look in her eyes.

"Oh I have sense alright and here's what it is. I don't associate with assholes like you. You know why? Because nine times out of ten, you're some coked up, steroid using, piece of shit, limp dick son of a bitch that can't get it up when the time counts, not that you would ever get that far with me. You see women as a piece of ass, nothing more, nothing less. Let me tell you something else, if you knew the things I've seen and done, you'd go running back to your mommies with your dick tucked in between your legs and praying that you'd never see me again. So this is the only warning you get, fuck off now and change your life or run into another woman like me and get killed." Revy said with an evil glare, cracking her knuckles.

"You…you fucking cunt! You'll pay for saying that!" the man lunged at her along with his other two friends. It didn't take more than ten seconds as Revy ducked the lunged, kicked her heel in his face, spun around, punched the man to the left in his stomach and kicked the man to her right in the face knocking them to the ground.

"Yep, I paid alright, ten seconds of my time." Revy smiled kicking the first man in the balls and walking away. Rock didn't even bother to look the entire time, he knew what she was capable of.

"You missed an ass kicking there Rocky, how are you going to do that to me?" Revy teased him with a smile getting into the passenger seat of the car.

"I've seen you do it enough times, I was more concerned that you were going to kill them right then and there." Rock said getting into the driver's seat and starting the car up.

"Not in this country, we'd never get out after that." Revy replied as Rock pulled out of the gas station and headed towards an on ramp to I-95.

"Good point, it's nice to know you still aren't afraid to kick someone's ass. Hopefully when we get this bastard we'll be able to get out quickly." Rock replied accelerating the car.

"If we can find him." Revy replied lighting up a smoke.

"Well, Dutch did say where he was possibly located." Rock answered back, gaining Revy's attention.

"Apparently it's somewhere along the west coast in California. We're supposed to wait in Norfolk, Virginia outside of the city and they'll arrive to pick us up to get to California. Hopefully Balalaika will have more info, but it'll be a few days possibly so we'll have to lay low until then." Rock informed her.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. We know where this guy might be and we have to wait?! Fuck that, let's go get him ourselves!" Revy shouted out.

"We can't if we don't exactly know where he is." Rock reminded her.

'_Sometimes she's so short sided.'_

"We'll find him if we do it ourselves!" Revy shouted again.

"Revy, I want him as much as you do, but we can't do anything until we know for sure where he is. Let's make the best out of this. Dutch and Balalaika won't be arriving for at least a day, so let's hit up Myrtle Beach or something." Rock suggested.

"And how the fuck do you know about Myrtle Beach?" Revy asked him calmly.

"When Dutch said I knew about some things in America, he wasn't lying. Myrtle Beach is about a day's drive from here so let's have a day of fun." Rock smiled, trying to make the best of the situation. Revy sighed and chucked her cigarette out the window.

"Fine Mr. Tour Guide, let's go to the beach. And for what it's worth, this is a bad ass car to do it in." Revy complimented as she went through the bag of snacks and drinks she had gotten from the gas station until she found a cassette.

"I found this in that shithole gas station and I thought it was right for this, at least I think the name is. Never fucking heard it though, called _Hotel California. _Fuck it, let's see what it sounds like." Revy popped in the tape and the sound of acoustic guitars rang up through the speakers.

"Ah fuck, I knew it! Shit!" Revy went to eject the tape only for Rock to grab her wrist gently. She looked up at him while he kept his eyes on the highway.

"Let's listen to it and see what it sounds like." Rock smiled, releasing her hand. Revy looked at him as if he was an alien.

"You really want to listen to this soft crap?" Revy asked him. He simply nodded. Revy grunted and crossed her arms flopping back into the seat.

'_Why not…'_

Listening to it as they traveled down the highway, she found herself being hypnotized by the guitar and the melodies of the title track. She picked up the case and read off the list of names in her head, wandering what songs like _"Life in the Fast Lane" _could be about with this kind of sound. She had to admit, the lyrics were actually quite good if a little sappy. It almost sounded like the two of them were on this road right now.

'_Jesus Christ, I'm starting to get sappy more and more.'_

_Welcome to the Hotel California, such a lovely place (Such a lovely place), such a lovely face. They livin' it up at the Hotel California, what a nice surprise (what a nice surprise), bring your alibis._

'_Yep, it's making me sappy.' _Revy thought as she chuckled to herself in the seat. Looking at Rock, he seemed to be enjoying it quite deeply, perhaps enjoying the peace that it brought him, something seldom he experience. Far as Revy was concerned though, peace was something she never sought nor wanted, but this wasn't too bad. She still wanted to fight and kill anyone that got in her way, but a feeling of calm overcame her and she fell asleep….

'_Revy….Revy…..Revy….'_

'_Rock…where are you….'_

'_Revy…..'_

'_Where the fuck are you Rock….'_

'_Revy….'_

'DAMN IT ROCK! WHERE ARE YOU?'

_Revy stood in a clearing looking for him, but could not see him. Looking around though, she found the faces of her other comrades standing beside her. _

"_Dutch, Benny, Sis? What are you doing here?"_

"_We're here remembering Rock." Dutch said._

"_Remembering Rock? What the hell are you talking about?"_

"_He died by gunmen Revy because you couldn't protect him." Balalaika said._

"_Shut up, the idiot was getting kidnapped all the time, he was gonna get himself killed." Revy shouted._

"_Poor guy got killed for nothing." Benny said._

"_SHUT UP!"_

Revy groaned as she opened her eyes feeling someone shake her awake, trying to get the sleep out of them. She looked to see that the sun was setting and the smell of ocean air was overlaying her senses.

"Revy, we're here." Rock announced quietly.

"How the hell did I sleep for that long? I wasn't even drunk or tired." Revy said sitting up and looking around her.

"I think you were. But we've arrived and you should see it." Rock smiled leaning against the car and looking out towards the ocean. Revy leaned up and over to see the sun overlooking the beach and ocean, creating a nice view that most people would enjoy.

"Again with the sappy bullshit Rock." Revy said as she out of the car and stood next to him. The dream was vivid in head and she remembered what was said.

'_These nightmares are killing me, damn it all.' _Revy thought looking at the sunset. The thoughts of it haunted her and it was torture for her.

"Hey Rock…" Revy looked over to him.

"Yeah Revy?" Rock never turned to look at her.

"Have you ever had nightmares of someone you care about?" Revy asked him quietly.

"Not that I can remember, why do you ask?" Rock replied. Revy glared at him momentarily but softened the gaze trying to keep her focus.

"Nothing….it's nothing." Revy looked away at the sun, not ready to admit to him what she'd been experiencing. Revy did however feel some happiness standing there with someone she cared for and then looked back at him.

"Do you remember what you said about never leaving me?" she asked him.

"Of course but, I have to say again, why do you ask?" Rock replied.

"It's just, I have dreams about it, ones that I never had before." She explained with a solemn look in her eyes.

"Revy, you don't have to explain anything if you don't want to." He said grasping her hand.

"I know, but it's fucking killing me. I'd like to try and get over it. But I'd like to try to tonight, if only to stop my dreams." She answered leaning to him, but smiled looking out to the sun.

"Whenever you're ready, I'll listen." He wrapped his arm around her.

"Later, maybe over a drink or dinner, or just a night of _fun._" Revy said leaning into his embrace.

"Not a bad idea." Rock said quietly. Revy chuckled at his answer.

"You know, much as I'd rather not admit, I'm enjoying this, I'm enjoying spending this time with you." Revy smiled at him. Rock quickly looked at her and smiled.

"So am I Revy, so am I." he replied truthfully as they drove off down the highway towards Myrtle Beach.

"Even if it's the dreams of school girls and sappy whiny brats." Revy snorted.

"I thought I was the one that ruined moments." Rock joked.

"Not when I have a chance to Rocky baby." Revy laughed wrapping herself around him and feeling an ease of tension in her hear.

"So the assassinations failed." A man in black said calmly.

"Yes sir, they were all able to escape and they found out about our infiltrations of Hotel Moscow." the assistant replied.

"Very well, we'll have to take care of this ourselves." The man in black replied.

"Sir, if I may ask, why is this such an important task?" the assistant replied. The man in black didn't answer him quickly.

"It's a matter that I have to attend to. That is all you needed to know. Dismissed." The man in black replied.

"Yes sir." The assistant bowed and exited the room. The man in black stood up and looked out the window towards the distant mountains of the west coast.

"I shall have my revenge on you Balalaika….you and your little brigade of smugglers…."

* * *

**A/N: I decided to go ahead and make this a multi chapter story. I don't know how long it'll take to finish the story or how often I'll update. Hopefully you'll all enjoy it at I go along with the story. Trying my damn hardest to keep Revy's badass attitude, but it's hard to balance out conflicting emotions that she has in her mind. Hopefully next chapter, I can get her to start cursing more if to keep up appearances. Anyways, hope you enjoyed chapter 2.**


	3. Land of Confusion

_Land of Confusion_

* * *

It'd had been roughly over half a day since the arrival of a 1986 Chevy Camaro to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, just an hour short of a city called Wilmington in North Carolina. In fact, looking at the clock it read that it was just after two thirty in the afternoon and two patrons of the of the beach were enjoying each other's company while enjoying the mini vacation. If only there wasn't a threat of possible death ringing at their feet. Revy sat outside on the patio of their hotel and enjoyed the sight of the afternoon sun as sand rustled in between her feet. Downing some liquid courage, she took the time to enjoy the quiet that was calmed over the air and waves crashing against the shore line.

"I fucking hate it when it's quiet." Revy mumbled setting her drink down.

Truth of the matter, she had been a street urchin for so long in her life that she didn't know how to adjust to the quiet sounds that she was hearing. Yes, there were people, mainly kids or drunken teenagers running around the beach and some sounds of cars going by, but those sounds didn't register with what she was used to. Things like gun fire, shouting matches between drunken morons, the sounds of screams as someone was being tortured, the sound of a chainsaw doing God knows what, those were the sounds she was used to.

Sitting there while Rock was out getting them a few things to get by for the drive to Norfolk gave her sometime to think. Thinking though made her head hurt and it caused her much inner turmoil. Thinking about the conflicting emotions that ran through her made her want to shoot her Berettas in the air and cry at the same time. It was the reason she was drinking more than she should on the job right now, after all, old habits die hard when it came to her. However, it was the morning's events that were causing her more emotional turmoil than anything else.

She had woken up from another nightmare, one that was more vivid than the last one

"_Please Revy….don't be afraid to cry….it's okay…." Rock choked out blood from his multiple wounds._

"_Shut up! Don't say anything! Just shut up and we'll get help! DUTCH! BENNY!" she cried as she cradled his head in her lap._

"_Revy….I'm….I'm pretty sure….that….I'm done for…."_

"_SHUT UP YOU IDIOT! WHY? WHY DID YOU TAKE THE EXPLOSION TO SAVE ME?! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!"_

"_Because I didn't want to….to see you….get hurt….because I couldn't…..protect myself…."_

"_YOU STUPID FUCKING IDIOT! I'M THE ONE THAT IS SUPPOSDED TO PROTECT YOU! NOW YOU GET YOURSELF TORN TO SHREDS! DUTCH!"_

"_Revy, please stop, it's okay. Just know that….there are people…..that care about you…." Rock struggled to get the words out._

"_No….no, don't you do this, don't you leave me! Not know, never, don't you leave me!" she put pressure on his wounds to try and stop the bleeding._

"_Answer me this Revy, did…..did I save you? Did I give you some emotion back into your heart?" Rock rasped out._

"_You stupid cocksucker, yes you did. You saved me from my black heart, and now you go and get yourself killed when I need you more than ever." Revy choked back sobs._

"_I'm glad….that I did…." Rock smiled as his eyes closed._

"_No! NO! DON'T, PLEASE! I LO….."_

She never finished her statement in that dream as she had woken up in a panic and instantly looked for him. She found that he was nowhere to be found and frantically looked for him or any sign of him until she saw the note on the table saying he would be back soon and that he had run to get supplies for their next leg of the journey. She had crumbled the paper and shouted in anger at him and herself, him for having the nerve to leave her like that and herself for having those dreams. She looked to see that she had slept in for quite a while and that it was past one in the afternoon at the time. She had wondered why she had been sleeping so much lately and she had a few theories as to why, the main presiding one was that she simply had always been on edge and never really slept. But who knew why or cared? Revy was more concerned of her nightmares and how to get rid of them.

"Fucking dreams." Revy said quietly taking a drag of her smoke and then butting it out in the ashtray.

She would never say anything like this to anyone and preferred to keep to herself when it came to emotions. Then again, she never really had to deal with emotions being hidden because she had always been able to get her main emotion of sadistic, evil, anger driven rage out with bullets and blood in the deaths of her enemies. But the moment that she had taken a certain Japanese business hostage for ransom, it had begun a chain of events that led to what she was going through now. And Rock had the nerve to leave her behind for a few hours to her thoughts, someplace she never wanted to go often because of what it went to. She would give him a piece of her mind as soon as he got back.

"Son of a bitch not being here when I need him." Revy muttered kicking some sand up. Looking to her right, she saw that another pathetic macho head was coming her way and she sighed, knowing full well what was coming.

"Here we go again…." Revy sighed putting her drink down.

"Hey there sexy, mind if I join you for a drink?" he asked in one of those stupid macho tones she hated.

"Piss off meathead, I've got someone and I'm not in the mood to fight someone right now." Revy gave him a quiet warning.

"Well, he isn't here right now so what do you say we get a drink anyways?" the man persisted kneeling on the empty chair.

"I said no cocksucker, fuck off before you really make me mad." Revy said a little more loudly.

"And if I don't want to?" the man smirked and leaned forward. Bad decision on his part. Revy pulled the shirt that was hiding one of her Cutlasses and pulled out, resting it on her thigh.

"Listen here you motherfucker, right now, you're lucky that you're still alive. In most cases I would have beaten men like you into an inch of their life and right now, you are pushing my fucking limit. This gun has a fully loaded clip in it, and I'm a pretty damn good shot. As soon as I pull the slide back, bullet goes into the chamber, that bullet goes into your cock and balls and your manhood goes to shit. There's no safety so you don't have that luxury of me screwing that up. Now I'll say it again, you're lucky that you aren't in agony because you've caught me in a _real_ bad mood." Revy looked directly into his eyes which were blank. The man quickly whimpered and started to haul ass in fear, hoping she wouldn't shoot at him.

"Stupid motherfucker…" Revy chuckled taking another swig of her drink. The incident was over as quick as it had started, except for a certain part of her statement lingered in her mind.

"_I've got someone"_

Revy scoffed in amusement at what she said.

'_I must have a conscious after all. That prick deserved to be shot.' _

* * *

Meanwhile, Rock was using the payphone to contact Dutch and was learning new information.

"So Mr. Chang is now accompanying the trip as well? How long before everyone gets to Norfolk?" Rock asked over the phone.

"I'd say about another twenty-four to thirty-two hours. Apparently Chang is taking a personal interest in making sure Revy at the least is safe, not sure about the rest of us." Dutch joked.

"Yeah, God forbid the rest of us don't make it so long as she does." Rock chuckled.

"Well, regardless, he's now coming with us. I think he's more concerned that people could infiltrate the Triads, as much as he doesn't want to admit it." Dutch said seriously.

"I don't doubt it. Who knows, maybe he'll pay us nicely too if we solve this shit." Rock laughed over the phone.

"I wouldn't hold my breath Rock." Dutch laughed as well, but quickly changed the subject. "Listen, I need to know, has anything happened between you and Revy? And don't lie to me this time" Dutch warned.

Rock wasn't sure how to answer that. He knew Dutch wouldn't buy his lie this time, but he wasn't sure how to say this. Mustering up some courage, he tried.

"Well, she threw my gun in the ocean, said she didn't want me to be a killer." Rock admitted.

"That's a first, but not as surprising as I thought. I never thought you needed a gun myself so I think it's a good thing." Dutch answered, knowing there had to be more than this. Revy wouldn't throw away a good gun and she sure as hell wouldn't just say that about him not wanting to be a killer. Something in his gut told him to keep going

"Now I know there's something else going on besides that Rock." Dutch told him in a more ordering tone.

'_Shit…'_

"Yeah, something else did Dutch. Can't keep anything from you can I?" Rock chuckled.

"As your employer, I wouldn't." Dutch replied in a serious but calm tone.

"Ok, I get it. But it needs to be in private between you, me and Revy, at least until we know the best way to break to the others." Rock said quietly.

"I'm all ears." Dutch waited for his reply. He heard Rock sighed over the phone, working up the courage to say something. Two seconds later, he got his answer.

"Revy and I….we….we….fuck, don't make me say it." Rock grimaced at it; he didn't want to admit it.

"You two fucked." Dutch answered bluntly.

"Yes….yes we….we did that." Rock answered back in staggers.

"About fucking time." Dutch replied with a laugh.

"What?" Rock shouted over the phone.

"You realize most of us were pretty much thinking it was gonna happen at some point right?" Dutch questioned.

"You guys never said anything about it!" Rock said loudly.

"Well, it was obvious to us. But now that it's happened, I'm going to warn you right now, don't do anything that would fuck over any jobs for us. I'll lay the ground rules when we meet up. For now, congrats on landing the craziest woman in the world as far as I can tell, don't fuck it up unless you want Whitman to rear his head." Dutch half joked.

"I'll keep that in mind." Rock sighed and banged his head against the glass of the payphone.

"Give me a call in six hours. I know we aren't going anywhere for at least that amount of time. I'll have the details when we're leaving and you should have plenty of time to get to Norfolk. And don't worry about not waiting to call. The number goes through to the plane. Both of them want to get going as soon as possible so we'll be meeting them at the airfield soon to take off. Give us a call in about four hours." Dutch explained.

"Gotcha Dutch." Rock replied.

"Good, now do me a favor, and keep Two-Hands happy." Dutch slyly replied over the phone. Rock didn't respond as he simply hung up the phone. Dutch smiled as he hung up his phone and turned to Benny.

"Hey Benny Boy, I won the bet!" Dutch exclaimed loudly.

"FUCK!" Benny shouted, knowing he had just lost ten grand.

Rock meanwhile was muttering to himself as he got in the Camaro.

"Great, now he knows. It's bad enough Revy doesn't know how to express her emotions, now she has to find out that Dutch knows and everyone else. Damn it." He groaned taking off back to the hotel, wondering how he was going to break the news to her.

'_Better kiss my balls good bye.'_

It wasn't like that one day she could say it out in public, but right now was not a good time considering they were in a precarious time. She wouldn't say a damn thing back home, neither would he since they both knew better than to give an advantage to anyone. But Revy was different, she was emotionally scared and not capable of showing that side of her and Rock knew this. He didn't care though, but it was the idea of others knowing that scared him because he knew Revy could go crazy.

'_This is not gonna be fun.'_

Revy took a drink of Bacardi, finishing up the last of her bottle, a very small one. It was enough to numb the pain, but she still couldn't get it to go away. Revy knew what she had and didn't want to screw it up. She didn't know what love was supposed to feel like, she didn't know how to express it properly, and she sure as hell didn't know what it was like to fully commit to it. She may have slept with him and he made have made her feel like a woman, but that's what made her wonder what the emotion of love could be. It wasn't a carnal need like she had experienced in the past. He actually cared about her and it gave her some idea of actually being cared for. Remembering her dream, she could hear the last sentence before she woke up. She didn't think that was what love was supposed to feel like, but it may have been an emotion of desperation that she felt in it, something that love could make you do. It could also make you crazy.

She was a killer, plain and simple. The last few days had taken away the nature of what she had become in her life, but by herself now, she had her thoughts going back to why he had chosen her and if he could ever truly love her without fear of her killing him. She feared what she would do to him if he ever left her of his own free will. Life was not a fairy tale, especially in this world. She knew of women that had killed their men if they even were _accused _of cheating or leaving them. Revy was afraid of what she might do if that every happened.

"He wouldn't leave me." Revy said to herself leaning back in the seat. She felt anger begin to within her at thought, but he wouldn't leave her.

That's what she told herself, and she somehow knew it to be truth. Rock never lied when it came to the serious nature between them. She knew him well, better than anyone else she could think of. But there was the shred of doubt and jealously that could boil over, and she feared that it would lead her to do terrible things, the reason that she never wanted to feel that emotion to begin with. She knew what killers like her were capable of. But she wanted to take a chance and try to maybe find peace with him somehow. Before she could go deeper into her thoughts, she heard the door open from outside. It was time to say some things to him.

"Hey Revy, are you here? I'm back." Rock called out. He turned around to see Revy standing in the entrance to the patio. "There you are, guess you found my note huh?" he innocently replied. Revy's fists cracked her knuckles and she lunged at him.

"You son of a bitch! What thinks you can fucking leave like that without waking me up!" Revy grabbed the collar of his shirt and her fist cocked back ready to strike.

"Woah! Calm down Revy! I'm sorry but I had to get some things!" Rock tried to explain his reasoning, hiding the other part of his reason for the moment.

'_Not a good start.' _He thought nervously.

"Not a good enough answer asshole!" Revy was struggling not to punch his lights out.

"Revy, what is wrong with you?!" Rock shouted, trying his best not to anger her, looking into eyes seeing nothing but rage.

"Everything is wrong, and it's because of you!" Revy shouted at him, still holding her fist back.

"What did I do?" Rock asked her unsure of what was going through her head.

"You left me to my own thoughts, what the fuck did you think was going to happen?!" Revy shouted at him.

"I was hoping that you'd be okay and a chance to relax. But I guess that went to hell." Rock replied grabbing her wrist and pulling it off his collar.

"Well I'm a crazy bitch who kills on impulse, I'm a little off, sue me!" Revy shouted at him feeling herself shudder slightly.

"Revy, I need you to calm down and tell me what's wrong." Rock said grasping her shoulders. Revy felt herself falling apart at the seams.

'_It wasn't that long ago I couldn't even be his partner with all his bullshit, now he's got me in such a state that I can't even think straight.'_ Revy felt her knees give way and fell to the floor.

"Revy!" Rock exclaimed, kneeling before her and lifting her head up. The look in her eyes was something that he had never seen before.

'_She looks so scared.' _Rock thought as he stared into them.

"Why did you choose me Rock? Why did you choose a killer?" she looked at him as he felt her face tremble, her bottom lip quivering.

"Revy I…." Rock tried to get out.

"Don't lie to me Rock, don't even think about it. Why would you choose a cold-hearted killer, someone who's crazy like me, someone that could kill you for the dumbest reason? Why?" she pleaded to him, unable to move her arms.

"You aren't as cold hearted as you make yourself to be, I'm telling you the truth." Rock said, trying to convince her that.

"I don't believe you! I'm a cold hearted bitch that hates you right now! You make me so mad and yet you conflict everything that I know! I only know how to kill, I don't know how else to handle this! I'm a crazy fucking wreck and I don't know what to do!" Revy shouted closing her eyes and shaking her head. Rock looked up unable of what to say to convince her, she wouldn't listen to him, couldn't believe what he was saying. Then he spotted one of her Berettas on the night stand. He stood up and grabbed the gun and then came back to her kneeling before her.

"Revy…." Rock said pulling the slide back and loading a bullet in the chamber. "….if you really believe yourself to be this cold hearted killer then here." Rock said putting the gun in her hand and placing the barrel of it against his temple. Revy gasped opening her eyes and looking up at him, his face giving a stern and calm look.

"Put a bullet in my head. If you're such a cold hearted bitch, do it." Rock dared her, showing no fear in his face. Revy was still in shock at his words. He put his own life in her hands and everything in her body was telling to blow his brains out.

'_Why shouldn't I? It would make everything easier! He wouldn't be around anymore, screwing with my head and I could become the person I was! That motherfucker doing this shit to me!' _Revy shouted in her head as her finger rest just outside the trigger guard. She wanted to pull the trigger, to end her suffering if only momentarily, it was all she knew. But her body went of its own accord and she tossed the gun to the side and shouted in frustration, not caring if the bullet went off. Rock simply kneeled there and looked at her as she began to look at her hands in disbelief.

"I….I….I almost, I almost killed you….why, why would I even think of that…why would that cross my mind?" she stuttered out as her hands shook in a nervous wreck.

"But you didn't, did you Revy?" Rock grasped her shoulder and her face to look at him. Revy's eyes went from her hands to his eyes and she could feel the tears well up inside her.

"You just proved to yourself that you aren't a cold hearted monster, that despite everything you've been through, everything you say to yourself, you aren't just a killer." Rock said in a reassuring tone. Revy continued to look at him, feeling the tears begin to stream down her cheeks. It was something Rock had never seen before.

"It's okay to cry Revy. I won't tell anyone else about, it just stays between us." Rock said grasping her arms. Revy couldn't hold back anymore after what he just said, years of holding up a wall had made her an emotional wreck and for once, she needed to break free of it. She began to sob loudly and let herself fall into his embrace, letting her tears run freely and let him hold her as she let the years of torment go.

'_It's okay to cry…'_

"Rock….I'm….I'm…so….sorry…." she wept into his neck and felt herself lose all control.

"I know Revy, I know." Rock comforted her, holding her tight to him. He let them stay like that as she wept until she could no more, letting her emotions flood out and come to the realization that she was in fact not what she believed herself to be. Years and years of telling herself that had damaged her in a way she never could have for seen. And meeting this man brought a sense of light to her world as she tried to get herself back together. She didn't like feeling this way but it was a relief to her, no matter how much she tried to deny it. When felt herself run dry, she began to whimper quietly.

'_I'm fucking whimpering, this fucking bullshit! But….but I can't help it. Rock, you….you saved me…' _Revy smiled into his shirt.

"I don't know how you do it." Revy muttered quietly wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I do what I can and do it the best I can." He simply replied lifting her onto the bed, never once letting their embrace break.

"You have a way about you that I'll never understand. But don't ever make me hold a gun to your head ever again." Revy closed her eyes and leaned into him more.

"Well, I'm not sure if this will lighten the mood, but I have to tell you something. Dutch knows…." Rock simply whispered, hoping to maybe get her back into good graces. He grew concerned when she didn't answer him right away.

"You have to say that right now?" Revy asked him still reeling.

"I figured get it out of the way now." Rock answered her, not caring if she was angry or not. Revy didn't answer quickly, finding a bit of amusement in it for some reason.

"So did you tell him, or did he figure it out on his own?" Revy asked calmly.

"Both." Rock answered stroking her arm. Revy scoffed at it.

"Figures he'd find out that quick. You never were good at hiding anything from him." Revy laughed quietly.

"None of us are Revy. I'm surprised you aren't mad at me." Rock smiled.

"I'm madder that you made me hold a gun to your head. Let him know, they'd find out eventually. As long as it stays within the group, I don't care." Revy said. She surprised herself by saying that, usually more defensive about anything in her private life. But this man had changed her, so maybe she could accept it and learn to keep going.

"I think I know what love is Rock." Revy said looking up at him, her eyes slightly bloodshot.

"You do?' he said looking at her. She simply nodded and kissed him, grasping his face while pushing him back onto the bed.

"It's you being able to love a bipolar, crazy woman like me and being able to actually make her give a fuck about other people in her life." She said pulling and taking her shirt off.

"Revy…"

"Don't ruin the moment Rock, just don't." she said ripping his shirt off as well and then going in another kiss. Rock pushed back just enough so they could look into each other's eyes.

"So this isn't just a little thing to you?" he asked her. She smirked and flipped her hair back.

"No, it's more than that you idiot. I'm not lying when I say it scares me, but I'm not afraid to push it forward, I think I've made that perfectly clear in the last few days." She said unhooking her bra and throwing to the side of the room. Both their faces flushed, no matter that he had seen her like this before, but it was always something they were comfortable with now.

"And if you don't believe me, then ask yourself what other man would I allow to touch me here?" she said grasping one of his hands, leading it to her breast and the other to her ass. Rock instinctively grabbed both and began to knead her breast tenderly, while grabbing and spanking her ass firmly, gaining a moan from her throttle that made him harder.

"Do you have your answer?" she said in between pants of pleasure looking at him. Rock smiled at her and kissed her deeply.

"That's what I thought." Revy said, grabbing his hard member through his pants and stroking it lightly.

'_I'm such a fucking two-sided crazy woman. One minute crying, then the next minute fucking.'_

She moaned loudly as one of his hands went in between her legs.

'_If this is what I get, it's worth it.'_

If they were more coherent to their surroundings, they would have remembered that they had left the door to the patio open for the beach goers to hear them.

* * *

Balalaika, Dutch, Benny and Chang all stat in leather back chairs, each doing their own guilty pleasures as they flew over the European country side toward the Atlantic. Balalaika was enjoying a smoke of her cigar while Dutch sat across from her with a beer in his. Meanwhile, Chang was cleaning one of his pistols while Benny was lost in his liquor, still mad he had lost his ten grand bet. Balalaika had been musing what she had learned in her mind and was going over every possible option to take out this man that had caused her much aggravation in her business. Dutch wasn't in the mood to wait for her to finish her thoughts though.

"So how are we going to go about this?" Dutch asked her setting his beer down on the table and calmly looked at her.

"I've been pondering that for the last day now, and honestly, there's a million different ways we can do this." She answered him setting her cigar down on an ash tray.

"Well, we're all ears. But we don't exactly have a ton to go off of other than they might be somewhere in California." Dutch said leaning back in his chair.

"I never said that we didn't have information." Balalaika smiled. "I have an informant or two in the United States."

"We both do." Chang added in looking up at Dutch.

"That's not surprising." Dutch looked up at the ceiling.

"Well you can't exactly believe organizations as big as ours wouldn't have informants or sources around the globe." Balalaika explained crossing her legs in the opposite direction.

"I'm not saying you wouldn't, but kind of risky to have them in a country not exactly known for its global policy of tolerance, at least under the Reagan and Bush administration." Dutch said closing his eyes beneath his tinted sunglasses.

"Hmm, like the U.S. Government would start anything with either Russia or China. Remember Dutch that times constantly change throughout history and countries change. It wasn't that long ago that the United States was very bigoted towards the color of someone's skin or race. Now it's about one's life style and a collage and yet it's still about differences in ways, only now we have gangs that go around shooting each other for the dumbest reasons. I may be more for the old motherland but even I thought America was better united against a real threat, in fact, the world was a better place when it was united against a true threat." Balalaika smiled taking a drink of wine.

"And what would you consider a true threat?" Dutch asked.

"The Axis powers of World War Two for starters. Nazi Germany and Japan truly were great threats to what the world could have been. Luckily, the U.S. and Soviet Russia joined together with other countries to defeat these enemies. And look, it did make the world a better place. While we didn't attack each other as many feared for fifty years afterward, but we knew that setting off nukes against each other would probably kill us all. That's the thing that I see with a lot of these new enemy countries that are popping up, they show no respect for their adversaries, they simply want to kill to kill all the way top chain of command to the weakest solider. I'm sure you've heard the story of the Christmas truce of World War one." Balalaika said to Dutch.

"Oh that old story, the one about football where the Ally and Axis powers of that war called a truce and spent Christmas day kicking a ball around before going back to killing each other in the trenches." Chang said with some light hearted joking in his voice.

"You're going to ruin the story that way, but yes, that is the story Chang. And what it shows that even in times of trial and hardship had a respect for each other; at least that's what it used to be. Even soldiers in Germany's Second World War had respect for each other's enemies while some others didn't. They were simply kids fighting for their country, killing each other for what they believed in. Nazi Germany, simply had a more radical leader that led them into oblivion only to realize they fought for the wrong thing, but still had respect for their combatants, at least the Americans, my country, not so much. I don't condone genocide of a people, and don't defend what they did. They deserved to be bombed left and right, but they were simply misguided by a group of men that were crazy. But war never changes; it's always something that drives them. Meanwhile the Japanese army had no respect for the America or Soviet Forces. So instead of surrendering, they received two atomic bombs for their troubles. I could go into a much higher detailed reason for what I'm trying to get across, but the message to me is this. Respect is something that you have to have in order to survive." Balalaika explained.

"And this guy trying to kill my crew is not showing the respect because not only that, but he infiltrated your organization and could possibly do the same to the Triads." Dutch said.

"Exactly." Chang answered for her.

"So you see, our situation is not so different than to wars past or even more recently the Gulf War. One country starts a war by annexing another country, and then other countries unite against that country to end it. This quiet organization tries to kill your crew which is of value to us, Hotel Moscow and the Triads unite to finish it off. It's an endless cycle that repeats itself over and over again. The only difference is that it's much more small scale compared to these wars of past." Balalaika said taking a drag of her cigar.

"That doesn't answer my question about what you said earlier." Dutch replied.

"It's about respect, that's the answer Dutch. It's why you get work from us, respect. The U.S. may be one of the most powerful countries on the planet, but they know we haven't attacked them, nor would we. They have more problems on their own than with us." Balalaika explained.

"I see why you like Rock so much. You two have very similar traits when it comes to looking at things like this from a different perspective." Dutch simply chuckled at the thought.

"I like the boy, he's smart. He doesn't need a gun to win his battles, it's the reason I didn't kill him. He knows what's what and keeps his head about him. It's why I take such an investment in him, in Two-Hands, you and even Benny. Speaking of which, I see you're very quiet right now, why is that Benny?" she asked leaning forward curiously.

"Saying things gets you in trouble, at least in my experience. I don't say anything that could kill me and just go about my job. I don't use a gun either, but I'm not crazy like Rock is." Benny simply laughed setting his drink down. Balalaika laughed quietly and leaned back in her seat.

"You have a good crew Dutch, very smart about their answers. Rock is crazy and smart at the same time then you have Benny who's smart and quiet. Combine that with yours and Revy's gun skills, a very lethal combination." Balalaika smiled at him.

"I try to keep them in line." Dutch said calmly.

"Yes, but his quiet nature right now is telling me that something is up." She said curiously.

'_Crap, here we go.' _Dutch thought in annoyance.

"Yeah, he just lost a bet that cost him ten grand. But it's more than that so I may as well tell you." Dutch said taking a smoke of his cigarette. "We had a bet about Rock and Revy and he lost the bet."

"And what was the bet?" Chang asked for him and Balalaika.

"Don't think about it too hard. All I have to say is with how much time they spend together, surprised it didn't happen sooner." Dutch replied. Balalaika began to laugh, quickly figuring out what he was insulating.

"They finally got it on with each other! Only took a year! or two" Balalaika laughed uncontrollably. Chang was not as pleased.

"I don't like this." He said in a quiet tone, setting his gun down.

"Sorry to say, they're on each other right now. And I'm sure that you're concerned what this will do to Revy's mind or if it'll make her weaker." Dutch replied to him.

"I don't want that kick ass attitude of hers being diminished because of some petty emotions for her partner." Chang simply explained with a hint of aggravation in his tone.

"She was already protective of Rock to begin with and would kill or beat anybody to death that hurt him. This will simply take it to the next level. And from what Rock has said, she hasn't lost her edge, she's just slightly confused." Dutch explained.

"Did he tell you that?" Balalaika asked.

"I can tell by the way he sounds, not to mention introducing this kind of emotion into a person like Revy is like giving a kid sugar. It's going to take a while to get used to, but I know she still has that killer instinct, the Whitman if you will. And now that she's not only wanting to take revenge for this guy trying to kill _her, _she'll be triple pissed at them attacking Rock as well. You think she was crazy before, wait until she gets her hands the people trying to off her man." Dutch chuckled taking a gulp of his beer.

"And what if Rock changes her attitude about killing all together?" Chang asked.

"You'll have to ask her how she feels about that. Remember Chang, she's crazy and has threatened to shoot Balalaika here for Rock, this will make her even more determined. But there's only a few people she will listen to, and the main one she'll listen to is Rock above all else. He won't tell her to do anything crazy he just wants to make her happy. That's how he has been, that's how he's always been if only to stay alive." Dutch tried to defuse Chang's worries.

"I still don't like it." Chang said leaning back in his chair.

"Well, sadly you'll have deal with it if it happens. You have an entire organization at your fingertips one less killer doesn't mean it'll collapse. I'm telling you, Revy is stubborn, she won't want to leave this life without a reason that makes her and her life makes it hard for her to leave." Dutch reminded him.

"And if she does want to leave it behind?" Balalaika asked.

"There's only two things that would convince her to leave it behind, money and Rock, and not essentially together." Dutch replied tapping his foot quietly.

"And if Rock convinced her?" Chang replied with a edge of uneasiness.

"Then I respect her decision. Rock can't convince her of anything, period, he can only offer her advice. He's never tried to convince her of anything, only suggested that she could be different than what she believes, but he never tried to convince her. You can't tell me that he's tried to convince either of anything, simply suggested." Dutch looked at Balalaika and Chang behind his glasses.

"It's true, he may be crazy and try to plan things that would usually create havoc, but he never say we need to do them outright, and we still followed through because we knew they were well orchestrated plans that no one would think of. I have to agree with Dutch on this. For now, let's focus on getting this thorn out of our sides and we'll get the other issues hashed out later." Balalaika suggested to them.

"Agreed." Chang simply answered.

"Right, now then, back to the matter at hand. You said you had informants in the U.S. correct? Are they located anywhere near we'll be landing?" Dutch asked the Russian.

"We have them all over the country's main entry points from Norfolk, to New York, to Los Angeles. We'll have one there when we arrive and he'll have information for us there." She answered him.

"How can you be so sure?" Dutch asked her.

"Simple, he's one of my best ones. I have a vast network that spreads across that country by itself. You forget we could single handily start World War Three and win it. Do Rock and Revy know where we are meeting at, I presume they do." Balalaika replied. Dutch simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"Good, then we can end this before it gets out of hand." Balalaika replied leaning back in her chair.

"Yeah, until then, guess there's nothing much we can do on this plane unless you feel like discussing the situation more or simply playing cards." Dutch answered back bored.

"Before we start playing cards, I'd like to discuss Revy just a bit more." Chang butted in.

"What's there to talk about? She makes her own decisions and I'm pretty damn sure she made this decision on her own. That girl has needed someone to guide her for a long time and I know for fucking sure that I couldn't do that." Dutch replied.

"And we didn't guide her? You forget we've given you a lot of jobs over the years Dutch." Chang replied.

"Just because you've given us jobs doesn't mean she's been guided by you or Hotel Moscow. That girl has always had a will of her own and she's never listened to what anyone has said unless it kept her alive. She's been about survival and now she has something else to wonder about. This is merely a suggestion to you but do what you want, I wouldn't go forcing her to do something she doesn't want otherwise, you might unleash Whitman and get yourselves filled with bullet holes. You know it as well as I do that she does not care when she gets in that state. I wouldn't mess with her." Dutch warned them both.

"Two-Hands is quite crazy, I can only imagine what she could become in this state." Balalaika replied smoking her cigar.

"We won't know until we arrive. She could be more stable, she could be overprotective, she may not show it at all. I don't care as long as we get this done." Dutch replied.

"Agreed." The two mafia members answered in unison.

"I can only see good times ahead. Maybe Revy will develop a conscious under all this but I'm not making any bets on that." Benny chuckled grabbing a deck of cards.

"Sure you don't want to lose any more money?" Dutch smiled at him.

"Not to you." Benny answered shuffling the deck.

"Oh this is going to be a long flight." Balalaika sighed as she took her hand and saw what she had been dealt.

* * *

"Sir, we have received info on our enemies movements." A man in an assistant's clothing reported to the mysterious man behind his desk.

"Report then." He simply answered.

"Our informant inside Hotel Moscow has reported that they are on a plane heading into the country, they have the two other crew of the Lagoon are on board and they are traveling with Balalaika and Chang from the Triads." The assistant replied.

"Son of a bitch." The man's fist clenched tightly. "I did not want their involvement in this. I underestimated their loyalty or respect for them."

"Sir, what are we going to do?" the assistant asked.

"Prepare for arms of course. Do we know where they will land?" the man asked in return.

"It seems they will be landing in Virginia, though we have not determined their exact arrival destination. The three locations we've narrowed down is Norfolk, Richmond, and outside of Washington, D.C." the assistant replied.

"Is there no further information to this?" the man inquired.

"I apologize sir, but that was all we could get. We were fortunate to get this much information at all." The assistant replied.

"Very well, take this and have it distributed among the enforcers of the building. They'll have the plans inside that we need to make our next move." The man handed a set of plain document folders to his assistant.

"Yes sir, but might I ask what the plan is?" he replied taking it from his hand.

"That is not for you to know nor needed. You will not be taking part of it so it does not concern you. Just be sure to hand those to our three main enforcers and they will take care of the rest. Once they've read them, they'll coordinate and begin the stage of these plans." The man answered as he stood and looked out the window.

"Yes sir, I'll have them disturbed right away." The assistant turned and disappeared out the door. The man took a drink of his club soda from the desk and sighed with a grumbled in his throat.

"This situation is becoming quite intense, if it isn't taken care of soon then we'll have a situation on our hands. Sons of bitches ruined a deal that would have made us millions and they never realized it. You don't cross someone like me and get away with it. Besides, it's time we step up into the next level of organized crime. But first, we need to get rid of them." The man said to himself, as though speaking to someone that was in the room.

"I want to do this for you, brother." He said setting his drink down as an evil smirk worked its way across his face.

* * *

Rock was sleeping peacefully on the bed while Revy lay next to him with an arm around his chest while supporting herself with her arm. It was something that she was curious about, why she wanted to stare at him like this. He seemed more peaceful than usual, not to mention that he was probably mentally exhausted, well that and she had just rocked his world not too long ago. She remembered once hearing him say how sleep didn't come easy to him and that being a part of this world never really afforded him much sleep.

'_It's a shame, he's a lot better when he's able to get some rest. Shit, that comes fucking easy for me. I'm knocked out like a light by the end of the day.'_

She leaned up and gently touched his face where just hours earlier she had held a gun to his head, forced by him to make her realize that she in fact have some kind of spirit to her dark heart. She felt wracked with guilt over that, over what had happened at the market place years ago. She held a gun to his head and could have ended his life, she had shot at him. She had threatened over a dozen times to kill him or leave him behind. Yet she never did. She was always protective of him, or never wanting him to get into any danger or wanting to see him become something he wasn't.

'_It took all this time for me to figure it, and he was the one that had done it.'_

Whether or not she could understand how he had done it, she didn't care. He understood her better than anyone else and she was so protective of him that if anyone ever tried to hurt him, they would be dead, just like that hired hit man. She could feel jealous rage over her also at the thought of any other woman going after him.

'_Fucking Eda, I'm gonna rub this in her face and then tell her if she ever hits on him again that she'll be eating through a fucking straw. Christ, listen to me.'_

But really, she clung to him, desperate not see him become corrupt, to help her leave the life behind she had experienced. The life she lived was one full of hatred, she had cursed God away, killed anyone that she didn't like, and felt like she couldn't escape. Then we he had come into her life, he had begun to bring her back to the hope that maybe she could leave, even if she could never be a normal woman in his world. But the question was did _he _want to leave this world behind. She remembered him asking her if she would leave this world for him and she didn't hesitate in her answer. But she needed to ask him the same question. And seeing what he had turned into this last year, she was worried of what it would bring. Even when she had gone gun shopping with him, she knew she was lying to herself and didn't want it to happen but her attitude and nature kept her from seeing it. Now things were different, it wasn't the same as before and she could talk to him on an honest level. She remained hopeful that if she could convince him, that he would follow her. Then maybe she could actually enjoy the brighter side of life and not have to kill anyone.

'_That's going to have to wait though. We have to get these fuckers off our tails before we can do anything about it.' _Revy thought leaning over and brushing his hair back. She looked over to see the clock and that they needed to get moving soon.

"Rock….you need to wake up." She shook him awake. Revy received a groan and a loud yawn as her response before he opened his eyes to see her leaning over him.

"Sorry….dozed off there." He smiled looking at her with tired eyes. She smiled back and kissed him gently.

"It's okay, just don't do it again." She replied with a drawl.

"I can't make any promises." Rock smirked and then looked at her arms and legs, noticing her still healing wounds. "How are your injuries?"

"Nothing compared to being fucking skewered by knives. A little tender, but fine." She added rubbing her arms slightly. Rock sat up and grabbed a bottle of aloe from his bag putting some in his hands and started to rub it gently into her wounds.

"This should help." Revy heard him say as she felt her pain ease from her body and begin to relax. A few minutes later, he had finished and looked at her.

"Feeling better?" he asked. Revy simply nodded and smiled in thanks.

"What time is it?' he asked her. She looked at read that it was just before five o' clock.

'_God I want a drink so fucking bad right now.'_

"It's time to get a move on. Don't forget we have to call Dutch." Revy answered letting her side of the blanket fall and revealing her chest, leaving her completely nude. Rock simply chuckled and shook his head.

"What?" Revy shot at him.

"You keep showing me that, we're never going to get out of her on time." He simply answered with a smirk.

"Don't deny you enjoy seeing it." Revy scoffed grabbing her top and putting it on to cover herself.

"Never said that, it's just hard to get anything done when I get to see that from you." Rock replied putting on his clothes.

"Point taken." Revy smiled at the compliment, but quickly remembered what she needed to ask him.

'_No time like the present.' _She sighed putting her pants on and sitting in one of the chairs.

"Rock, I need to ask you something….personal." Revy said quietly lighting up a cigarette. Rock looked over at her slightly intrigued and sat down next to her.

"What is it Revy?" he asked her leaning forward in his chair.

"Just, just give me a minute. You forget already how hard it is for me to ask shit like this?" she replied with a glare.

"Sorry." Was all he said. Revy closed her eyes and shook her head, trying her best to muster up everything she had to get his out. She was hoping that he wouldn't be angry at her for this.

"Remember when you asked me if I would leave this life for you?" she began. Rock simply nodded at her. "Would you do the same for me? Honestly? I know you've said that in the past but the way you've become, it's like you enjoy this life."

"Revy, I don't understand what you mean." Rock said flatly.

"Don't lie to me Rock, I'm asking you not to lie to me. I've seen it for myself and I don't like where you're going Rock. I've seen the way you've turned over the last year and it scares me." Revy replied looking at him seriously.

"And what if I am? What's so bad about that?" Rock replied.

"It's bad because it takes away the one life line that keeps me sane. I've told you what you meant to me now and I've told you that I don't want you to become that person. It genuinely scares me and it makes me desperate to make sure you don't become that. I told you a long time ago this life would turn you, and I'll be damned it hasn't almost gotten you." Revy said quietly.

"I don't know what I can do about that Revy. I can't exactly go back to my old life like you seem to be saying, not after what I've seen and learned. And I know I'm being hypocritical in a way going back on what I've said. Maybe I'm just as fucked up as you are in this so maybe we need to figure this out before we do anything else." Rock suggested.

"Sounds like a fucking plan, but I think we need to keep it simple." Revy said looking away.

"Then what do you suggest?" Rock asked her with a stoic look.

"Simple, get these fuckers after us out of the way. Once that's done, get the fuck out of this life and try to enjoy it for once." Revy said taking a smoke of her cigarette.

"That simple huh? You think Dutch, Balalaika or Chang would take that well?" Rock smiled at her uneasily.

"Fuck them, they don't like it, they answer to my gun. I'm tired of all this Rock, and what if I want out? Would that be so bad? I'm not saying that I do because I don't know what I want for myself beyond this and I don't know if I could ever live a normal life, in fact I'm pretty sure I can't with my fucked up mind. But I'd like to try to and if it means leaving this all behind, then so be it." Revy said putting her cigarette out and trying to get herself back together while letting her head hang down.

Rock had never heard anything like this before and wondered what had brought this on. Perhaps she had always been like this and that there were things even he couldn't figure out about her, not that he could ever know everything about her.

'_I always knew that there was more to Revy than she let on, but there are some things that I couldn't find.' _Rock thought as he pulled his chair in front of her. Revy lifted her head and looked at him with sorrowful eyes, something that was becoming more and more evident with her gaze.

"Revy, I know that Roanapur has changed me, that this whole life has changed me. But getting away from the city for a few days reminds me of what the world outside is like. I can't leave behind what it's taught me, but I can try to live in a way that you want." Rock offered her his hand. She took it with no hesitation.

"I just don't want you to change. I can't show this side of myself outside the privacy of only our company, so that's why I'm doing it now. I know I won't get a chance to once we regroup with the rest in a few hours. So I'm asking you, right now, if I wanted to leave this behind, no money, no questions, just leave, would you follow me like I would follow you?" she asked him leaning forward and resting her forehead against his.

"You wouldn't have to ask twice, I'd follow you anywhere." Rock smiled and cupped her cheek. Revy leaned into his hand and smiled back.

"Good because saying this is hard and it's going to be impossible for me to say it around anyone else." Revy started laughing momentarily.

"What's so funny?" Rock asked her confused.

"It's just….how the hell are we going to live outside of this world? It's going to be funny as hell watching us struggle." Revy started laughing again.

"Well, between a Japanese businessman with good planning and a strong headed, stubborn woman, I think we can make something of ourselves." Rock smirked while rubbing her arm. Revy stopped her laughter to look at him and kept smiling at him.

"You're not going to back out of this are you? I'm serious about this. If we can find a way out of this life then I want to." Revy told him seriously.

"If you want to, I will Revy." Rock assured her. Revy didn't say anything she just continued to smile while closing her eyes and felt a sense of joy building in her at the thought. Nothing else was needed to be said, they understood each other.

"Does this mean I can call you Rebecca sometimes?" Rock chuckled trying to get a bit of rile out of her. He received a light smack across his face.

"You sound weird calling me that, way too weird." Revy looked at him with a calm demeanor.

"Sorry, I don't have to if you don't want me to." Rock apologized looking back.

"I never said you couldn't, I just said it sounds weird…but it doesn't sound too bad." She admitted sticking her tongue out at him. Rock smiled and released her from his hands and stood from his chair.

"I'd better make that phone call before we head out." Rock said grabbing the phone.

"No skin off my bones, the quicker we get this done the better." She said grabbing her bag and tossing her things into it. Rock started dialing the number and listened as the line rang on the other end, ten seconds later someone picked up on the other side.

"Rock?" Dutch asked on the line.

"Yeah, it's me. How are things on your side?" Rock asked in returned.

"About as boring as it can be considering we've already gone through about fifty hands of Texas Hold 'Em." Dutch replied.

"Texas what?" Rock asked him confused.

"Texas Hold 'Em, a form of poker that isn't quite as popular as Seven Card Stud." Dutch explained.

"Never heard of it, but I'll have to play sometime." Rock replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I only just picked it up but it's pretty damn fun. I ended up beating Balalaika and Chang a bunch of times, Benny though cleaned us out. Figures this would be up his alley." Dutch laughed.

"So you lost money?" Rock asked chuckling.

"No, just cigarettes and beer, no way we'd bet money. But, we all got tired of that and decided to take a break from it. We thought about exchanging stories but that's not exactly our best idea. So long story short, we'll be arriving in Norfolk in around eight hours. Where are you right now?" Dutch asked.

"We're in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. So I'd say we are about five hours outside of Norfolk. If we leave in the next hour, we should get there in plenty of time. But if we get there before you, how will we get clearance if you aren't there?" Rock replied.

"Balalaika said that they would recognize you. She's given them all the info that they need so you'll be able to get in no problem." Dutch explained.

"Well at least that won't be a problem. So I guess there's nothing else to do except hit the road. Anything else I need to know?" Rock asked.

"Nope, everything should be put in place for us. Just remember to keep Revy happy." Dutch chuckled over the phone before hanging up. Rock simply sighed and clicked the receiver off.

"So what he'd say?" Revy asked throwing her bag over her shoulder and standing waiting for him.

"They'd be here in about eight hours, which gives us enough time to get the airfield." Rock replied grabbing his bag.

"You have everything?" he asked her.

"Everything that I'll ever need. But I'd like to leave something behind." She replied, grabbing her ammo clip and taking a bullet from it and walking outside on the patio. Rock followed her outside and let the cool air hit him with the smell of salt water and sand. Revy showed him the small nine millimeter bullet, leaving him slightly confused.

"This is the bullet that could have gone through your head, the one that you asked me to shoot you with. I don't want this bullet to be fired so I want to leave it behind, let the ocean take it." Revy said twirling the bullet between her fingertips.

"I never thought you would be sentimental about anything." Rock simply stated watching her play the bullet.

"Neither did I, but I guess you came and fucked things up." Revy scoffed but smiled to his comment.

"I'm not sorry that I put you in that situation you know." Rock replied moving some sand with his foot as another wave crashed along the shore.

"I don't expect you to be, just like at the marketplace. And as pissed off as I am at your fucking ass right now…." Revy sighs letting the bullet rest in her hand. "…but it let me know that I'm not just some cold hearted killer. At least I have some actual sort of conscious for what I do. Took another 'what the fuck' moment for me to figure it out."

"Better to have realized it then never at all right?" Rock asked.

"I guess." Revy simply shrugged and looked at the bullet one last time before chucking into the water. "That's one bullet that will never be fired. Rest at the bottom of the sea with U-Boat and the Titanic." She said turning around and walking towards the Camaro. Rock smiled and followed her as they were ready to get the next leg of their journey underway.

* * *

"Ma'am, we shall be landing in five minutes." Boris announced from the other side of the cabin door.

"Very good, right on schedule and not soon enough. Staying in a plane this long drives me nuts. By the way, are Rock and Two-Hands at the field waiting for us?" Balalaika answered back with a non-caring attitude.

"Yes ma'am, they arrived about ten minutes ago." Boris answered.

"Thank you Boris." Balalaika replied as Boris nodded and disappeared behind the door. "Seems that those two made it just in time."

"Usually Revy is late when it comes to that. Guess Rock made sure they were on time." Dutch replied hiding the fact that they had well over three hours to spare.

"Already working miracles and they haven't been at it more than a few days." She replied with a grin.

"Considering they've been partners for two years, he was bound to have some effect on her. Anyways, I'm guessing we'll load up their new car and take it to Los Angeles and hopefully your informant will have the info needed." Dutch replied.

"Exactly." Balalaika simply answered. Two minutes later, they felt the wheels land on the runway with a shudder and thump before the plane started to slow down and finally taxied to a stop. The four of them stood from their seats and exited the plane down to the stairs and were greeted by the sight of a much different looking Rock and Revy.

"New clothes I see." Benny joked as he and the other three all approached the pair.

"Yeah, we had to try and disguise ourselves best as we could and sorry about the GTO." Rock explained with a smile, happy to see his comrades again.

"As long as it's not completely destroyed and only panel damage, I'll live. But I'm not happy about it. I see you have that nice new IROC Camaro though. Not my taste but a pretty damn good car." Benny replied inspecting it.

"It was either that or the '68 Camaro SS, but since they had similar body styles, it was smarter to go with this since it wouldn't be as recognizable." Rock explained while Revy lit up a smoke.

"Eh, I don't think the car or clothes suits you Rock. But Rebecca looks more mature in her clothing at least." Balalaika joked stepping up.

"Shut it Sis." Revy replied without missing a beat.

'_Seems she's already back in the groove of things.' _Rock thought with a chuckled.

"Anyways, I'm surprised that you actually were able to gain clearance for this airfield. I'd figured that the military would be all over it and we'd be screwed." Rock said to Balalaika.

"When you're as powerful as we are, you can pull a few strings. You should know that Rock, especially when people are in position of power." She answered back with a smirk.

"Besides, we're just glad to see you're mostly in one piece you two." Dutch added with his usual charming attitude.

"Yeah, only twenty fuckers shooting at us and a few bullet grazes. Fucking better than being dead in the ground." Revy replied smoking a cigarette.

"Oh I'm sure, bet it doesn't hurt that you have someone to take care of you." Balalaika teased her.

"What? Rock? Fucker can't take care of himself let alone take care of me." Revy scoffed, trying to hide it best she could.

"No need to lie Two-Hands, we know." Chang replied crossing his arms.

"Fuck….." Revy sighed turning away.

"I think it suits you two. Rock here somehow was able to land the craziest woman on the planet." Balalaika smirked at the pair.

"I'm fucking warning you, can it or I'll put a bullet on the good side of your face." Revy growled reaching for her gun in the bag while Rock laughed nervously.

"Revy, I'm not in the mood for Whitman to start a gun fight here when we're on her ground. So shut the fuck up and deal with it." Dutch ordered her. Revy grumbled something as she grabbed her second bag from the Camaro.

"She'll be fine, just give her time." Rock suggested to them all with another nervous laugh.

"You realize what you've put yourself into right?" Benny joked as he lifted the hood.

"Yes I do, but I can handle it." Rock assured them.

"Are you really sure about that? She's a wild one." Balalaika chuckled at the thought.

"Hey! I can fucking hear that you know!" Revy snarled at the group over her shoulder

"Ah fuck, this is going to be one long flight." Dutch sighed putting his hands in his pockets.

"Anyways, Dutch told me you'd have some info for us when we got here right?" Rock asked Balalaika.

"Yes, in fact here comes my informant now." Balalaika replied as a man quickly came up running and handed a five page file for her.

"Here is what we were able to come up with ma'am." The man said in a thick Russian accent with salute.

"Very good, we'll debrief this on the ride over to Los Angeles. Go ahead and start loading up that car into the cargo section of the plane and we'll take off in ten minutes." Balalaika ordered him.

"Yes ma'am!" he saluted again and quickly ran to get everyone moving inside the airfield.

"Ten minutes? I'm assuming that one of these planes is also yours since refueling takes a lot longer than that." Rock assumed watching as they loaded his car into the cargo hold of another plane.

"That would be correct Rock. Again, the perks of power have no limit. Besides, the one that's loading your car is a lot more luxurious on the inside than what we flew in on so no problems there." Chang replied for Balalaika.

"I see, we'll then I guess we'd better get…." Rock's sentence was interrupted it as a gun shot rang through the air. He felt a warm sensation trickle down his right arm and the stinging of a thousand wasps as pain rattled his body. Time slowed down as he looked and saw that his shoulder had a bullet hole in it. Revy who had heard the gun shot turned around and instantly went to Rock and saw the blood trickle down his arm.

"ROCK!" she shouted in desperation as another shot rang through the air, but Revy was quick enough to dive and shove him and Balalaika out of the bullet's path. Time for Rock sped back up and suddenly the air field was under a barrage of gun fire.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Chang shouted as they made their way for cover behind some of the metal crates around the airstrip.

"I don't know, but we can't sit here waiting for us to get killed! We got to get to the plane and get out of here!" Dutch shouted as Balalaika's men returned fire on the enemies shooting at them.

"Rock! Rock! How bad is it?!" Revy shouted as she grabbed her pistols from her bag and put down suppressing fire.

"Just my….my shoulder. Fucking hurts but I'll live." He answered back taking cover from the bullets speeding by. Revy though only heard 'my shoulder….fucking hurts' and that was enough for her to get pissed off. She made to grab for her other Beretta but was quickly stopped at Dutch grabbed her and held her back from it.

"No Revy, not here in the fucking open!" Dutch ordered over the noise.

"They fucking shot Rock damn it! No way in hell am I letting these cocksuckers live!" Revy shouted back at him with her icy glare.

"Do not make me knock you out cold! You want to help Rock out?! Cover us while I get him on the plane and get him some medical attention!" Dutch shouted. Revy quickly looked at him and then to Rock and saw that he was bleeding pretty badly. As much as she wanted to kill these bastards, her first thought was to get him to safety and heal him.

"If you got a plan, make it quick then God damn it!" Revy shouted back laying low and returning fire when she could. Dutch breathed a small sigh of relief and then turned to Balalaika.

"Balalaika, you got a first aid kit on there!?" Dutch shouted as the noise threatened to drown out their voices.

"Yes, and I would suggest we get moving before we get killed!" Balalaika shouted returning fire to give cover.

"Not a bad plan, hope I don't get fucking killed over it though!" Benny shouted laying low behind the metal crates.

"You aren't dead yet Benny, but it's as good a plan as any. Revy, you return covering fire while I get Rock on the plane. It's fifty yards away so it's going to be close but we don't any other options. Balalaika and Chang, I don't know what you plan on doing but that's your call, I have to get my guys out of here." Dutch shouted.

"In this situation, I agree. I'll give covering fire as well and we'll make a break for the plane." She shouted back.

"Seconded." Chang shouted returning fire on the enemy.

"Let's fucking move already! Dutch, you better make sure Rock doesn't die or I'm gonna kill you myself!" Revy shouted back firing off more rounds from her pistol and then quickly reloading. Dutch took that threat seriously but went over to Rock regardless.

"Can you run?" Dutch asked him over the hail of gun fire.

"I can run fine, just give me some cover fire if you got a gun." Rock gritted out kneeling in front of him.

"Good. Get ready to run on my mark! You too Benny! " Dutch said looking over to the others.

"Suppressing fire!" Revy shouted as she, Chang and Balalaika returned fire.

"Go!" Dutch yelled pulling out his revolver and fired one of his shots as Rock and Benny made a break for the plane which by now had its engines running ready to take off, now. The remaining members of the group covered Rock and Benny with their suppressing fire. Rock felt the pain in his shoulder intensify while ignoring the sounds of bullets flying past his ear. He couldn't remember the last time he had run this hard but he sure as hell wasn't going to question it. The load ramp was down and luckily the car was tied down ready for takeoff as he and Benny were able to get onboard to partial cover.

"Hurry up! We're on the plane!" Rock shouted over the roar of the engines. Revy felt some relief hearing that as she fired off one more bullet and then turned and ran for the ramp along with the rest. As soon as they were on board, the attendants of the plane hit the switch and began to close up.

"Don't wait for the fucking door! Take off now!" Balalaika shouted running to the second level of the plane and into the cockpit. Meanwhile, the crew of the Lagoon were helping Rock into the second level of the plane and into a chair.

"Are you ok?" Revy asked him cupping his face and looking at his wound.

"About as okay as bullet wound can feel. It fucking hurts like hell though." Rock gritted feeling his shoulder pinch slightly.

"We got to get the wound cleaned and make sure there's no bullet in there still." Dutch explained as the felt the hail of bullets hit the plane as they took off grabbing onto anything until they were stable. Dutch kept himself steady and pulled out a knife and cut away at Rock's shirt. He looked at the hole in his shoulder from a distance.

"I got to get gloves on before I do anything. Chang, do you know where the kit is?" Dutch demanded of him.

"It's right here. Get him fixed up before he goes into shock." Chang said grabbing the kit from the cupboard above him and handing it to him. Dutch have it to Benny who opened it to see a vast amount of medical supplies for him.

"Good, let me grab these gloves and we can work on you." Dutch replied putting on the latex gloves. "Rock, this is going to hurt but I have to do to this." He added, not even trying to coat it with anything else.

"I got him, just get the wound cleaned." Revy said grabbing his arm holding him down. Rock closed his eyes and waited for the pain to take hold. Two seconds later, he felt the pain in his shoulder come back and it was too much to bear as he passed out with Revy's voice shouting his name.

"Rock! Stay awake!" Revy shouted as she watched his eyes close.

"He'll be alright Revy, I just need to get this bullet out of him." Dutch calmly replied.

"Then fucking do it!" Revy almost sounded desperate in her pleas, something that Dutch took note of. He had to be steady though since they were on a plane, but thanks to his past military history, he kept calm and made sure to get his work done right. He wasn't a medic, but he knew enough. Grabbing the pair of medical pliers and began to gently grasp the bullet out.

"Benny boy, I need you to make sure you control the bleeding. As soon as I get the bullet out, apply pressure and then I'll clean the wound and sew it shut." Dutch instructed him.

"Do I need gloves?" Benny asked.

"No, just grab that clean towel from the kit and use it, it'll be alright." Dutch assured him as he held the bullet. Benny nodded and grabbed the towel ready to go. And while all this was happening, Revy was simply looking at Rock with worried and guilt ridden look on her face.

'_I did this to him…' _she thought were lip trembling.

"Alright, we're doing well, another few minutes and we'll have him good to go." Dutch assured them all as he and Benny went to work on him. The plane was now on its way and out of the reach of bullets, a take of relief from the crew members on board along with the owner. The skies seemed to favor them tonight.

* * *

"So how's the one-armed wonder holding up?" Balalaika said referring to Rock as she took a seat in front of him after twenty minutes had passed since they had taken to the skies.

"He's fine, just passed out right now. We threw him on one of the beds on the plan if that's fine with you." Dutch replied.

"It is, I never use them anyway. I should expect as much from him though. The man is crazy as hell so he should be able to withstand that. We both got lucky though, that sniper was a lousy shot otherwise a bullet would be in his head and that same one in my chest." Balalaika said with a quiet annoyance.

"Yeah, but at least we aren't dead. But somebody knew something about that meeting. There's no other way they could have found out. Seems like this leak is bigger than what we thought. We'll need to get this situated before we all end up dead." Dutch said crossing his arms gaining a raised eyebrow from Balalaika in question.

"You think we can't handle it?" she asked with a warning tone.

"I never said that, I'm just more concerned with getting this shit taken care of. We're all going to die one day, but I'd like to live for another few years." Dutch said with a chuckled.

"In this life, there's no guarantee of life." Balalaika scoffed before looking around and noticing a lack of a certain gun toting woman. "Where's Two-Hands?"

"She's looking after Rock in the room." Dutch answered.

"I see she's become very protective of him in this state of hers." Balalaika remarked in amusement.

"She always has been, but now it's even more so. If Rock ever gets in danger, she'll kill anyone that threatens him, and then she'll berate him for getting into trouble in the first place. She's crazy as I've said, this only ups the ante." Dutch explained to her.

"I never said I didn't understand, I know more than enough about who she is. Honestly, I think it's all a bunch of horseshit, but who am I to judge? If she wants to jump him, let her. Just remember Dutch, while I respect what your company can do, I always have others to go to. If this causes any issues, I may have to take business elsewhere. But we'll cross that road when or if we get there." Balalaika warned him.

"Straight to the point, I get it. I'll figure it out and let you know. Worst case scenario, we keep our other business ventures and stay out of your affairs so as to not cause any problems." Dutch retorted.

"Agreed, it's my respect for your company that allows this to happen. Of course, losing Rock would hurt but like I said, we'll cross that bridge if it comes. Besides, you said it yourself. To quote your statement 'You have an entire organization at your fingertips one less killer doesn't mean it'll collapse.' Pretty much what I said." Balalaika answered.

"Right, well then, did your informant give us any good information for us?" Dutch asked.

"Oh he did and when we land, I'll have the info all ready for you. I'd rather wait until we're all present to explain who and where. If this up and comer thinks he can try to get one on me, he has a death wish. Going after a small group like yours is one thing. That can be done easily with most people, but if you come after my organization and try to infiltrate it then you're signing your death warrant." Balalaika smiled with a bloodlust in her eyes.

"You know best, besides, makes it easier for everyone so no details are missed. And I agree, he's pretty much signed his death warrant like you said." Dutch replied leaning back in his chair. Balalaika nodded and rose from her seat to attend to the flight's plans and to let Dutch sink everything she said in. Benny, who had been standing in the doorway and listening to them, took a seat next to him, lighting up a smoke.

"You think she can be trusted?" Benny asked quietly after watching Balalaika close the door behind her.

"Probably, but I don't trust anyone to begin with." Dutch answered back in a hush.

"So basically we're still on our own." Benny replied quietly with a smile.

"Yep." Dutch replied.

"Ever think we should get out of this?" Benny asked him.

"Where would we go?" Dutch asked him back.

"Hell if I know, maybe we could ask Rock when he wakes up." Benny chuckled at the thought.

"I wouldn't count on that Benny." Dutch replied closing his eyes behind his glasses.

Rock's eyes were blurry as he felt the eerie silence of the sky pass by him and the uncomfortable ache of his shoulder as he came to his senses. He was slow to wake at first and looked around to find that he was in a private room with a comfortable bed underneath him. Tilting his eyes slightly, he found that Revy was sitting next to the bed with her head rested down on it next to him on his left side. He moved his good arm to reach over and brush her hair back. The gentle gesture stirred her awake.

"Rock…." She mumbled lifting her head up and opening her eyes to see him awake.

"Revy, are you ok?" Rock asked her, concerned if she had been hit. Her blood boiled over as she felt her lip tremble again.

'_Why? Why does he have to be so concerned with me?!'_

"Am _I _okay? Am I okay? Damn it, you get shot and you fucking ask me that?" Revy said in a quiet whisper as she held herself together doing everything not to knock him out again. Rock noticed her eyes were bloodshot when she looked at him.

'_Was she crying while I was knocked out?'_

"Revy, I'm fine. A little sore in my arm, but I'm fine. But did you get hit?" Rock asked her concerned grasping her hand.

"No." She shook her head. "No, I didn't get hit, but damn it you scared the fuck out of me again…and I…I couldn't stop it. If that shooter had been just a bit better, you'd….you'd….."

"Revy, I know, but I'm here." Rock tried to remain positive.

"That's not the fucking point! You almost got killed and I couldn't fucking do a damn thing! I couldn't protect you like I wanted!" Revy shouted at him, feeling the threat of tears fall again.

"You're a real son of a bitch Rock, you know that?" Revy sat up in her seat. "You get shot, you go into shock and conk out for half an hour and then you wake up and ask if _I'm _okay?! The things you do make me so fucking mad it's unbelievable!" Revy shouted as she grabbed his collar.

"You have the fucking nerve to try and get yourself killed regularly, barely surviving while Sis held a gun to your head and now look! Every day I see you becoming more and more the person I don't want you to be and getting shot at. You said to her saving people was your hobby but that were like her deep down. That isn't who you are!" she shouted louder before releasing him and putting her head in her hands and began to tremble.

"Revy…." Was all Rock could muster, unable to bear what he was seeing before him.

"I've said my fair amount of bullshit too, how I've told you we're nothing but the walking dead, but I….I'm starting to feel like that isn't what we are." Revy stuttered out looking up at him. Rock leaned up slightly, ignoring the ache in his shoulder.

"Dutch once told me that there are necessary evils in the world and for Roanapur at least, those evils are Balalaika and Chang." Revy said stopping her tears and stared at him. "They are what kept the city in line from becoming an all-out hell. Now they're both here against their better judgment and no doubt the city is going to hell, even if they've left behind their best men. We have no alliances with them other than they give us jobs and we complete them for money. What then? Do we continue to live under the threat of complete destruction? That city will die at some point and now, I simply see it as that now. Listen to me, I sound just like you now." Revy leaned forward to look him straight in the eye.

"Rock, I'm serious about what I said. I want to leave this behind. It's not worth losing you." Revy said lifting her head and feeling the tears roll down her cheeks. Rock couldn't look at her like this, he loved her and she didn't deserve to continue to have this pain to bear. He may have understood the city in his own way, this life in his own way and accepted it, but there perhaps was another way to live. This was the reason he stayed in the twilight. Reaching up, he wiped away her tears as she gasped at the touch.

"I'll follow you wherever you go." Rock simply replied with the best grin he could muster under the pain. But his facial expressions betrayed him and he grimaced at the pain in his shoulder. Revy looked at him unsure of what that meant to her, but she would have to wait to fully figure it out. For now, it was a sign she wanted and it was enough for her. Getting him into a more comfortable position was she needed to do now. Pushing her chair back, she climbed onto the bed him and leaned him up gently so that he was sitting momentarily. Rock didn't object but found that his arm was still sore and Revy could sense it.

"Shut up and let me do this." Revy demanded as she got behind him and rested her back against the wall and pulled him up to her body, letting him sit between her legs and resting his back against her breasts. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she grasped his hand and tightly squeezed, almost afraid that if she let go, he would leave.

"Feel better?" she whispered in his ear. Rock simply nodded at her question.

"Good, hopefully when we land it'll be somewhat better. But honestly, after that, I want to stay like this. I locked the door too so those idiots wouldn't barge in." she added leaving them in silence for a few minutes before she felt it was too quiet for her.

"Everything that I've ever learned has been screwed up because of you, you know that right? This city changed you and yet somehow you kept your moral code and lived closer to the edge than I ever have. And I always thought of myself as the bad guy, the killer with no heart and then you came and showed me that was never true. I'll never understand how I could have ever let you hold a gun, because that only pushed you further to the edge, almost like that stupid Japanese school girl." she said leaning into him further.

"You don't have to explain anything Revy." Rock said feeling his shoulder relax along with body from the warmth she gave him.

"Even I wanted to?" she drawled out.

"Yes." Rock said squeezing her hand. Revy smirked and wrapped her other arm around his chest.

"Probably a good idea." Revy replied wrapping herself tighter around him listening the hum of the engines outside as they made their way across the country, ready to finish this once and for all.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, first three chapters were basically meant to breakdown Revy and to get her to where I want her now along with Rock and try to get the other characters down to a certain level as well. I don't know how many more chapters this is going to be but because I never intended it to be anything more than a one shot which it developed into what it is now. Not sure if I exactly got everything down to where it works how it should be, but I also left out details because honestly, I like to leave it up to the readers imagination best I can. If I give every detail, then there's not much to imagine is there. I'll see what I can do for the last few chapters but I want this to end because I don't like dragging on stories too long. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**PS: Bonus points for anyone that gets the reference to the chapter title and what it signifies.**


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